If You Just Realize
by TwihardSie
Summary: Bella and Edward have been best friends since pre-school. What happens when Bella comes to the conclusion that she is falling in love with Edward? Will she be able to help Edward realize that he feels the same way? Will she even have to?
1. Details In The Fabric

**A/N: This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter fic so please take it easy on me ;) I would like to thank my amazzzziiiinnnng beta TwiDi for her guidance, advice and kind words of encouragement! You'll never know how much that means to me bb! :) Okay...on to the story! Enjoy! ;)**

**Chapter 1 -Details In The Fabric**

**Calm down, deep breaths and get yourself dressed instead of running around and pulling on your threads and breaking yourself up. If it's a broken part, replace it. If it's a broken arm, then brace it. If it's a broken heart, then face it. Are the details in the fabric…**

**Are the things that make you panic**

**Are your thoughts results of static cling?**

**Are the things that make you blow**

**Hell, no reason, go on and scream**

**If you're shocked it's just the fault**

**Of faulty manufacturing**

**BPOV**

"Good morning, Forks, Washington!!!" blared out of the speakers of my alarm clock. Ugh! I can't believe that it's already 6am. I had a rough night of tossing and turning. Night time has always been a hard time for me. When it's quiet, that's the time where my mind drifts to things I have been trying to avoid thinking about all day. It's getting worse (don't they have pills for this shit?) and the culprit behind my insomnia is none other than one of my best friends… _Edward Cullen_. Why does the mere thinking of his name accelerate my heart rate? The answer to that is simple... I have an insanely huge crush on him and I have known this since 5th grade.

"Bells, time to get up, you don't want to be late. I'm headed down to the station. I didn't get a chance to start coffee. Have a good day kiddo." Charlie shouts through the door.

"Ok, Dad, I'm up. Thanks and you have a good day too. Be careful." I climb out of the bed and shut off the radio. I gather my clothes and head for the little bathroom across the hall. I shower, wash my hair and head back to my room. I must have been in the shower longer than usual because sitting on my bed was my other best friend Alice Cullen... yeah, Cullen. She is Edward's sister and like everyone else in our group of friends, she was oblivious to my crush on her brother.

"What's up, Alice?"

"Hey, Bella! I was up super early and so I decided to come pick you up this morning, but from the looks of things if we don't get you dressed soon, we'll be late!"

Alice was dressed to impress as always. She had on the lacey floral tunic that we had picked up from the mall the day before. And she paired it with black leggings and knee high boots. Her make-up was flawless and her hair was wavy today. She looked like a little baby doll.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit, because I knew the real reason she was in a rush this morning. Her boyfriend and another one of my closest friends, Jasper Whitlock, was waiting for her at their "hook-up" spot! It was sacred ground and they went there every morning before class started. It was sickly cute.

"Calm down, you, love-sick puppy! Go downstairs and get a pot of coffee going and I'll be ready in 10 minutes." I giggled. As soon as the words left my mouth she was out of my room and on her way to the kitchen. I took a moment to put on my favorite lotion and pull on my jeans, plaid shirt and jacket. I looked in the mirror and my hair had dried and was laying in soft curls around my shoulders. I completed my look with a head band, mascara and lip gloss. I looked pretty damn cute today. I gave myself another once over in the mirror. It was time to go meet up with the gang at Forks High. Here we go.

I walked into the kitchen to a mug of hot coffee practically being thrown into my face, "Damn, Alice! Watch it! You know how uncoordinated I am! If that would have spilled on me, you really _wouldn't_ have time for your make out session with Jasper!" I snapped at her. Immediately upon seeing her face I apologized.

"I'm so sorry, Ali! I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night and I'm really kinda cranky this morning. I'm sure I'll be better after the coffee." I pleaded.

"No, Bella, you'll be better after I find you a guy, so you can relieve some of that sexual frustration!" she smirked at me. Then she broke out singing.

"When I get that feeling, I need sexual healingggg…" she laughed. Damn this little ball of energy! I couldn't help but laugh along with her because she was right. It wouldn't hurt if I had a little "sexual healing", but there was only one person I wanted to heal me sexually; and there was no way I was revealing that to Alice.

We walked out of my front door to Alice's BMW. Alice and Edward were rich, but they in no way flaunted it around. They were two of the most humble people I knew. If you didn't have something and they did. They didn't hesitate to give it to you. They would give you the shirts off of their backs if they knew you needed it; and that was something that I admired most about them. They had huge hearts, but only one of them wore it on their sleeve and that was Alice. Since she was so loving and open, people tended to try to take advantage of her, but she had a group of best friends who always had her back no matter what.

After a quick five-minute drive, we pulled up and parked in the parking lot of Forks High. I could see all of our usual parking spaces full and Rosalie and Emmett were hanging around Emmett's Jeep Wrangler.

Alice was out of the car lightning-fast! She ran over to Jasper and jumped into his arms with a little squeal. He twirled her around and gave her a kiss. And because Alice was as animated as she was, when I saw Jasper kissing her I could swear I saw her leg lift up in the air. I chuckled to myself. I stepped out of the car and shouted a quick 'hello' to Jasper before he and Alice took off for their "morning alone time". I saw Rose waving at me, so I headed over to Emmett's car, "Hey, Bella!!!" shouts Emmett when he sees me. He picks me up and twirls me around. I can hardly breathe! "Good morning to you too! Why do you always feel the need to man-handle me, Em?" I smile.

"It's all out of love, baby girl! It's been this way since we were ten years old. So, I hope you don't think it's going to change!" He gives me a smug smirk, "Yeah, yeah. I got it, you, big teddy bear!"

Emmett was HUGE. When we were 14 he had this huge growth spurt and now he stands at 6'4. He was 270lbs worth of pure muscle. No one messed with Emmett or the people he loved. They feared him and we all thought it was hilarious, because Em was just this big giant over-grown teddy bear. Don't get me wrong; when you messed with the people he loved the most, you were in trouble! Around us, Emmett acted more like he was 7 and not 17.

"Emmett, one day you're really going to hurt her and then I'm going to have to kick your ass!" said his girlfriend, Rosalie, as she winked at me. I loved this girl!

"Ok, ok, babe. I'll be more careful with little fragile Isabella!" I smacked him on his arm. He knew how much I disliked being called _Isabella_.

"Ow. Bells, that really hurts" he whined.

"That's what you get, you, big baby!" Rosalie laughed. Rosalie was unlike any girl you would ever meet. She could be a little bitchy and she didn't make friends easily because girls were either scared of her or intimidated by her. I could understand why. Rosalie was gorgeous. Just looking at her today in her brown turtleneck sweater dress with light brown belt was enough to make guys heads turn and girls to turn green with envy. I'm sure that if you looked in the dictionary under the word 'Beautiful', there would be a picture of Rosalie. She was 5'9', with long blond hair and she exuded confidence from every pore in her body. She had a little attitude on her, but she only ever used it when you did something to offend her or her friends.

"Come on, Bella. Let's go find the lovebirds!" laughed Rose. We took off for Alice and Jasper's secret spot, to give them their two-minute warning. We reached their secret, sacred room and I knocked.

"Unlock the lips and get a move on. Fix your make-up, Ali. Let's go. Class starts in five!" I sounded like a drill sergeant and Rose found it hilarious.

There was only one beautiful face that I was missing. I wondered where Edward was this morning. I saw his car, so I knew he was here somewhere. Oh, well, maybe he's in the music room. That's where he spends the majority of his free time. I wonder if I should swing by to say...

Before I could finish my thought, two hands slid over my eyes and I was assaulted by the smell that was purely Edward. I damned near passed out. I think I did wobble a little bit, because he chuckled and said, "Hey, clumsy! Guess who?!?" I elbowed him in the ribs and he let go. I smiled at him, "Good morning, ass!" I smirked, "Where were you, this morning?" I asked, "Awww, Bellaaaa, were you looking for me?!? You missed me?" He waggled his eyebrows and I knew he was just joking, because this is how we usually played around, but I immediately grew bright red and I had to turn around.

"Shut up, Edward! I was just curious. Don't you have a class or a 'play thing' to get to this morning?" I turned and looked at him. He had this stupid grin on his face.

"_Play_ _thing_?" he asked.

"Yeah, 'plaything', Oh, I'm sorry, they have names. Excuse me. Let's see, it's Monday, so, I guess today is… Lauren? Or is it Jessica?" I asked.

"Very funny, Bella. You know Monday is Angela!" he chuckled. For the second time this morning, I had to turn away from him, because I didn't want to have to answer his questions about why I had the expression of pure hurt on my face.

"I'll catch you in Bio, Bells! See ya later!" he hugged me from behind and gave me a kiss on the back of my head. To anyone else, this would look like an intimate moment between boyfriend and girlfriend. But anyone assuming that would me mistaken. That's just how Edward and I were. It didn't hurt any less, because the fact remained that I wanted that kiss on the back of my head to mean so much more than I knew it did. I grabbed Alice and we headed off to our Advanced Lit class.

The lecture was incredibly long today and it didn't help that I wasn't focusing at all. The two bitches in the seats in front of me were having a very intense conversation about Edward. I tried to ignore it, but it seemed the more of an effort I put into drowning their irritating cackling out... the louder they became! I knew one of the girls... the one that was getting on my nerves more than ever… was Angela "Gives-More-Turns-Than-A-Fucking-Door-Knob" Webber.

"Yeah, I'm uuuubbberrr excited about my date tonight with Edward!" she said to the other female, "When we went out last week, we had _the_ most amazing time! I'm going to let you in on a little secret" she leaned into the other girl like she was going to whisper something in her ear, but instead she said as loud as she possibly could... I was sure she wanted to be for certain that I personally heard the vile shit that was about to spill from her nasty ass mouth! "He does this Ah-MAZING thing with his tongue and when..." She didn't get to finish because Alice, who I was unaware that she was there, was listening; she threw her pen and it hit Angela on the back of the head with such force that Angela whipped her head around. Alice was ready.

"Say one thing, Angela. Please, say _one_ thing to me or about my brother and I can promise you, sweetheart, that a pen to the back of your ugly little head will be the least of your problems." she smiled sweetly at her. Angela rolled her eyes and proceeded to turn back around in her seat. Alice may be petite, but she had this way of instilling fear into people and all the while she kept a smile on her face.

"Amateur bitch... She doesn't want to go there with me." She whispered to me. I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. I thought that was going to be the end of the excitement for the day, until a piece of paper was thrown on my desk.

***********

_Bella,_

_You wanna hang out tonight?_

_Mike_

***********

Oh hell, that's just great. I have been trying to get this guy to leave me alone since 9th grade. Why couldn't he take the hint... I had no idea. It's not that I disliked Mike Newton; it was just that he tried way too hard. Overall he was a nice guy. He was cute, although a bit immature for my taste, but what seventeen years old wasn't somewhat immature? Look at Emmett; he had to be the poster boy for immaturity. I looked up and saw that Mike had his eyebrows raised and was smiling. I decided to write a quick response before the bell rang.

************

_Mike,_

_I'm a little busy tonight. Will you take a rain check?_

_Bella_

*************

I know. I know some people might think that I'm leading him on, but, you know what? Who says I won't give him a date. It's not like he's completely revolting. The bell rang and Alice and I headed out of the classroom.

"How boring was that class?!?" Alice whined.

"Yeah, it was pretty much what I would imagine the most brutal kind of torture to feel like." I laughed. Something caught my eye as I opened my locker. It was a pack of Skittles and a Mountain Dew. On top was a note.

*************

_Bells,_

_I know you had boring Lit with Mr. Thomas this morning and I know how you get after his lectures on seventeenth century literature and all that "tragic romance" talk, so I thought you could use a pick-me-up! If you're reading this when I think you will be... I'll see you in five!_

_You know who :)_

*************

I smiled the biggest smile I think I managed all morning. Edward knew me so well, which was what made me feel like we belonged together. I quickly placed the note and goodies into my backpack and told Alice that I would see her at lunch. I made my way to Biology with the dorkiest grin on my face.

When I walked in, Edward was sitting at our table, writing something in a notebook. When I walked up to the table, he looked up and smiled at me. _Damn, that smile and those green eyes of his. It could hardly be fair that he had charms that made girls trip over their own feet and forget their own names!_

"Hey, look! It's my Number One Girl!" he winked at me.

"Hey, look! It's my Number One Douche-bag" I ruffled his already wild hair.

"Ouch! Bells! That really hurts my heart!" he clutched at his chest and slumped over. I couldn't help but laugh at him. "Calm down, Eddie boy. You know you're my Number One Guy! Thanks for the pick-me-up snacks." I rubbed his back. Oh, if he only knew the true meaning of those words. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett would always roll their eyes at us, when we played around like this. That's why I was so surprised that no one seemed to have caught on to the fact that my feelings for Edward were far from platonic in nature.

"That's more like it. And you know I would do anything for my Bells!" he pinched my cheek. Mr. Molina picked that time to start explaining to us the nature of our lab for the day. I was intent on paying attention in this class, but there was this incredible pull towards Edward that was making me nervous. It was becoming harder and harder to be near him and not crave physical contact. After Mr. Molina finished explaining the lab, we got down to business.

"Don't pour that in there, Bella!!" I heard Edward shout at me. I immediately stopped and looked at him and he burst out in laughter.

"What the hell are you doing, Bells? You trying to blow up Forks High?" he managed to say between fits of laughter.

"Shut up, Edward! I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I'm not really focused today." I gave him an apologetic smile.

"Hey, it's no big deal. I was here to save you, as always. You know I'll always be your _knight in shining armor_!" He tucked some stray hair behind my ear. I blushed red as a tomato, I'm sure of that! His voice brought me back down to Earth from the cloud I was momentarily floating on.

"Where _is_ your mind today, Bells?" He asked. Oh, God! Well let's see… I could always start off a little something like this... _well, you see, Edward, I know that we have been friends since pre-school, but I've realized that I think I might be falling in love with you. What do you think about that?_ Ha-Ha, we all know I'm not brave enough to do that! So, I thought a little and then I gave him the most believable response I could think of at that moment with him standing so close to me.

"Well, volleyball drills are in the lesson plan for Gym today and we allll know how dreadful I am at anything involving me hitting, kicking or throwing a ball!" I gave him the best smile I could.

"That explains everything!" He laughed.

I hit him on the shoulder, "You're such an asshole, _Cullen_"

"It's one of the reasons why you love me so much, _Swan_" he gave me the smile I'm pretty sure he's used to get a few legs to open wide for him with. _If only he knew._

The rest of Biology went smoothly and Gym wasn't as big of a disaster as I thought it would be. I was excited to be headed to lunch. I stood in the lunch line for my pizza and soda and headed to the table where I found Emmett throwing fries at Jasper and Rose screaming at him to stop being such an immature prick. I shook my head and took my seat next to Alice.

"How was the first half of your day, Bella" Rose asked without looking up from polishing her nails while Emmett proceeded to feed her fries.

"The usual, Rose. I suck at sports, Bio was cool and I'm sure Alice told you about the "beautiful disaster" that is known as Advanced Lit!"

She looked up from her nails, "Damn, that sounds like one hell of a day so far. I did hear about that little stunt that slut-mouth Angela tried to pull this morning. One day I'm going to have to formally introduce my foot to that dirty fuck-mouth of hers." I choked on my Sprite. Rose was something else and although I was almost falling off my chair from laughter, I knew that she was dead serious and if my name was Angela I think I would be terrified.

That chick was like a disease that kept coming back. It was like she materialized every time we said her name. I was listening to Jasper play his guitar and sing country songs for Alice, when out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of Edward huddled close to Angela whispering something in her ear that was from what I could tell obviously really fucking hilarious, because the fake bitch was cackling and rubbing up and down his arm. I completely lost my appetite.

"Ugh, why the fuck does he insist on fucking with that no class hoe!" yelled Rose. I wish I knew the answer to that question. I looked over and saw him leading her out of the cafeteria holding her hand.

"Score 2000 for Cullen!" yelled some football jock from the table across from us.

I saw green and then red. I had to get the hell out of here and quickly. I could feel the tears threatening to over flow. I jumped up from the table and ignored Alice calling me. I ran down the hall until I reached the empty auditorium. I sat on the stage. I put my head on my knees and starting counting back from 100 in my head. I needed to get a grip and fast, before anyone started asking questions. When I looked up Alice had a confused look on her face, the corner of her lip was turned up into a half smile and she was tapping her foot patiently. Oh, shit! She felt something! I looked at her and all the color drained out of my face.

"Bella? You want to tell me what that was about, sweets?" she has a full on smile now.

What the hell am I supposed to do?

**_A/N: So tell me what you think! Hit the review button! :) Next chapter will be up in a couple days!_**


	2. Never Say Never

**A/N:**

**Thanks to those who have reviewed or put this story on alert! I really, really appreciate it! As always I want to thank my wonderful beta TwiDi for her advice and her quick and wonderful work. I don't think I would have been able to do this without her! She rocks! Okay....on to chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, i'm just playing with them! ;)**

**Chapter 2-Never Say Never**

**There're some things we don't talk about**

**Rather do without**

**And just hold the smile**

**Falling in and out of love**

**Ashamed and proud of**

**Together all the while**

**You can never say never**

**Why we don't know when**

**Time and time again**

**Younger now than we were before**

**BPOV**

Oh my God! Why is Alice looking at me like that? Duh, Bella! You know why the hell she's looking at you like that. The question is… what the hell are you going to do about it? Can I just brush it off? Pretend like I don't know what she's talking about? Of course, I can't! She'll see right through me! So, I looked into her sympathetic eyes as she looked at me sitting on the auditorium stage with my knees drawn up to my chest. I let out what seemed to be a long-held breath. Then, I completely broke down.

"Oh, Bella, sweetie, calm down. It's okay, I just want to talk. I didn't mean to upset you!" she sunk down next to me, wrapped me up tight in her arms and started rubbing my head. I thanked God every day that he sent Alice into my life. She was like the sister I never had. No one understood me like Alice and I don't think anyone ever will. So, I thought it best that I, at least, try to open up to her. I'll just let the cards fall where they may. Here goes nothing…

"Alice... I just don't know what to do about the way I feel... I'm just so..." I couldn't finish because another round of tears were overflowing.

"Come on, Bella, we didn't need the lecture in Art class today. Let's get out of here and go talk. I'll take you some place I know you'll love!" she smiled at me and in that moment I knew what I had to do. I knew that she wouldn't judge me for what I was going to tell her. I needed to be honest with the girl who would so clearly do anything to see a smile on my face.

I smiled up at her, because the light that surrounded her was infectious, "Let's get out of here!" she smiled.

We strolled to her car, we hopped in and buckled up. She docked her I-pod and through her speakers blared Lady GaGa's 'Just Dance'. I immediately burst out into fits of giggles, because this was our biggest guilty pleasure song. Whenever one of us was upset, we would turn this up as high as we could and sing at the top of our lungs.

"I've had a little bit too much, much!" she started "Come on, Bella, you know you're the Lady to my GaGa!" She laughed. I took a deep breath and joined in.

"Just dance. Gonna be okay. Da-doo-doo-doo. Just dance, spin that record, babe. Da-doo-doo-doo..." I was already starting to feel better. We continued singing and dancing in the car until we pulled up at the little ice cream shop we all found when we were 15. Alice knew that a Chocolate Devotion ice cream cone would cheer me up and wrap me in a sugar induced paradise.

We went inside and placed our orders. Though I tried to pay for my own, Alice would have none of that. She paid and we sat at the booth at the back of the parlor. She let me have my moment of enjoyment with my ice cream and then she said it and I almost choked, "You like and maybe even love my brother. Don't you, Bella?"

Damn, how does she do that? You can never keep anything from Alice. She senses everything. There was no way I was going to be able to deny this. I took a deep breath and prepared to meet her eyes, I was sure that I was going to see disapproval. I looked up and was completely taken back by what I saw. She was smiling and I don't just mean a little smile. I think I saw every single tooth in her mouth. Nothing was more comical then an excited Alice, but that was also one of the dangerous things about her. When she got excited about something, she was like hell on wheels. The only words she knew when she was excited were, "GO! GO! GO!" She often threw caution to the wind and stepped out on faith. That was at times one of the most refreshing things about her. She lived everyday like it was her last and she made sure her friends did the same.

"Yes, Alice." I took a deep breath, "I've always loved Edward, but I never thought of it as more than platonic thing… until I realized all of a sudden that thoughts of him made my heart speed up. I started to notice little things about him. The look in his eyes when he gets excited about something. The way he runs his fingers through his hair when he's nervous. The way he pinches the bridge of his nose when he's frustrated. I realized that all of those things were things that I looked forward to seeing him do. I've hidden it for quite some time, because I know that he'll never look at me the way that I look at him. He'll never feel for me the way I feel for him. And, Alice… you have _no_ idea how bad that hurts!" I slammed my hand down on the table in frustration.

Alice was looking at me with an expression that I couldn't quite explain. It was oddly very calm. She put her spoon down.

"Bella, you don't know how he feels. I don't think it's fair to say that he'll never feel the same way you do. Maybe he just doesn't _realize_ that you feel that way for him. Hell, Bella, up until now... _I_ had NO idea that you felt that way about Edward. To tell you the truth, I always thought that you and Edward would end up together way before Jasper and I became a couple the summer of 8th grade. Then, I thought FOR SURE that it would be before Emmett and Rosalie's dysfunctional asses! You guys complement each other in ways that Rosalie and I wish Jasper and Emmett would complement us. It just seemed to come natural to you guys. When it didn't happen during our camping trip in the 9th grade, I knew I had to be patient. Oh, Bella, I'm so excited about this!!!" she bounced in her seat. I knew I had to do something to calm her down.

"Calm down, Alice. I know by the look in your eyes that you are concocting some kind of matchmaker scheme and I don't want you to do that. I want to do this on my own terms and in my own way. Okay?" she looked at me with sad eyes, "Okay, Bella, I'll let you do this, your way... _for now_. Soooo, what's the plan, sweets?" She had an evil little gleam in her eyes.

"Well, my dear, Alice. I think the first phase of my plan is something that you'll be able to help me with." I gave her my evil little smirk.

"Do tell, Bella, do tell!" she sang.

"Well, the first thing I want to do is to see if I can get him to notice me and when I say notice... I mean, REALLY notice me. I want to see if I can affect him the way his _'play things'_ obviously do." Alice looked at me and blinked a couple times.

"Bella, you have to know that those girls mean nothing to him." I thought about that for a moment, but I couldn't bring myself to comment on that right now, "Are you going to help me or what, Ms. Fashionista Cullen?" I giggled.

"You tell me the day and I'm there, Bella. We are going to have so much fun!" she was bouncing in her seat again. "First thing's first, Alice...... MALL!!!" She shot up out of her seat faster than I have ever seen her go before. In a flash, I was being dragged out the door. When we were settled into her car, we decided that we would send everyone a text so they wouldn't worry about us when school let out. I took out my phone and saw that I had two new text messages. They both were from Edward.

*********

_B,_

_I came to sit at the lunch table and you and Ali were gone. Rose said you left in a hurry and you seemed upset. What happened? Are you okay??_

_E_

********

I didn't respond to that text. I clicked to read the next one.

********

_B,_

_Bella! Damn it! I'm starting to get worried. I have been calling Ali's phone and it's going straight to voicemail. Tell me what's wrong so I can help you!_

_E_

********

I thought the best thing to do was to respond, so that he could at least stop worrying. My fingers hovered over the letters on my BlackBerry. I had no idea what to tell him.

********

_E,_

_I'm fine. Everything is okay._

_B_

********

I hit send and proceeded to send Jasper a text, because it looked like Alice was in an intense text convo with someone and I figured she hadn't had a chance to text Jazz.

********

_Jazz,_

_I'm with Alice. We'll be back before dinner. Don't ask any questions. I promise you I'll take care of her. I'll bring her back unscathed! ;)_

_Bells_

********

Jasper immediately called my phone. I answered with a smile.

"If it isn't my favorite Southern gentleman!" I chirped into the phone.

"Hey, there, my second favorite lil darlin'." he responded in his Southern accent.

Jasper was born in Texas but has spent most of his time here in Forks, but he still spends some time in Texas with his grandparents. So, he still has a little Southern accent. He was every bit the Southern gentleman. With all of the different personalities in our little group of friends, Jazz was always the one who calmed us all down. He was the mediator in all of our arguments. He was in love with Alice and I had never seen anyone as passionate about love as Jasper.

"Oh, Jazz, flattery will get you nowhere with me. That only works on your FAVORITE lil darling" I laughed as Alice playfully pushed my shoulder.

"Speaking of my favorite lil darlin'. Where is the love of my life?" he was so sweet. I thought I was going to develop a cavity, but I loved seeing him and Alice together; and I loved the way they interacted with each other. It was the epitome of love, respect and absolute devotion. There wasn't anything in the world that Jasper wouldn't do for Ali and it made me so happy that she had someone like Jazz in her life.

"I have kidnapped the love of your life for the day, but I promise to have her home before dinner, kind sir! You have three minutes to talk to her. Here she is." I joked. I handed the phone to Alice and motioned for her to give me her BlackBerry so that I could text Rose.

"Is this my favorite cowboy?" Alice sang into the phone and gave me a little wink. I made a gagging noise and scrolled to her message folder and the first message I saw was from Edward.

*********

_Ali,_

_Is Bella ok? She sent me a text a few minutes ago saying that everything was fine, but something just seemed off. Did someone do anything to her?!? Tell me, Ali._

_E_

*********

I had to know what Alice said. I knew it was wrong that I was invading her privacy, but this is important. I had to know what she told him.

*********

_Edward,_

_Bells is okay. I can't tell you anything more than that. We are going out for the day. We will be back before dinner. Anything other than that, you'll have to talk to Bella about. I can assure you though that she really is fine. She needs you and me to respect that and not bombard her with questions. Trust me, E!_

_Your favorite sister ;)_

*********

I was so happy, that she left the ball in my court. Another text came through as I was typing Emmett a quick message. It was Edward.

*******

_Favorite sister,_

_I want to take everyone out to dinner. I promise not to upset Bells. You know I wouldn't intentionally do anything to hurt her. I trust you completely, Ali._

_Your favorite brother ;)_

********

I don't know why we always signed our texts, like we didn't know who were sending them. It was something we started doing at thirteen when we first got cell phones and we didn't know how the hell to work them properly. It just kinda stuck with us.

Well, it looks like we have dinner planned for tonight and admittedly I was excited to see Edward. It was time to head to the mall and find something that screamed "notice me" and not "fuck-mouth slut". I knew Alice could pull this off. She had a beautiful blank canvas to work with! That's not conceitedness talking, that is confidence. I know I'm sexy, but now it's time to accentuate those things that made me sexy. Let's get ready to do this.

Alice had finally got off the phone with Jasper.

"Okay, Ali, Edward wants us all to go out to dinner tonight, so you need to text him and tell him okay and ask when and where, so that we'll know what to shop for." I handed her, her phone back. She sent him a quick text and then she turned to me after he responded.

"We are going to Bellavitae for dinner at 7pm and then Aria after for dancing!" she did her excited dance.

I think Edward was planning on trying to get me to tell him the reason I was upset. He knew how much I loved Bellavitae! Not only was it a beautiful name for a restaurant, but my favorite uncle John owned it (hence the name!) and he always let us have wine even though we were only seventeen. He said that since we would be eighteen soon and were under his supervision it was okay. Little did he know that we all loved to party and being with Alice and Edward got us invited into a lot of clubs and bars. No one ever asked questions and we were able to drink as much as we wanted as long as we took a cab. Those were a few of the perks we did use. Thank goodness for Dr. Cullen and the hot interior designer Mrs. Cullen! Thank God it's Friday! I need a night of fun!

"Well let's get a move on, Ali, lots of shopping and so little time" I smiled.

We were headed towards the mall and surprisingly the sun was shining and my current mood was… optimistic. Let's hope it stays that way!

A/N: Tell me what you think! Next update before 2010!!! :)


	3. Down

**A/N: This chapter was fun to write, and I hope you guys enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)**

**_To my ah-mazing beta TwiDi.....BB, like I told you in our last email....YOU ARE TRULY AWESOME! Thanks girlie for bouncing ideas around with me, and helping to keep me on track. I feel like this is as much your story as mine! You rock my socks off! ;)_**

**Links for pictures of the clothes will be on my profile, so you guys will have a visual of how the clothes look. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own twilight or any of it's characters, but i sure as hell am having fun playing with them. I do not own any of the brand names of the clothes that are mentioned in this chapter, but i do own quite a bit of what I described! :)**

**Chapter 3-Down**

**Just let it be, come on and bring your body next to me,  
I'll take you away, hey, turn this place into our private getaway,  
So leave it behind cause we, have a night to get away,  
So come on and fly with me, as we make our great escape,  
(So why don't we run away) **

**So baby don't worry, you are my only,  
You won't be lonely, even if the sky is falling down,  
You'll be my only, no need to worry,**

**Baby, are you down, down, down, down, down…**

**(Jay Sean-Down)**

**BPOV**

We pulled up to the mall and hopped out of the car. Alice stood in the middle of the floor scanning the mall. Then she spotted the store that she thought would be best for what we needed for tonight. We headed for 'Wet Seal' and got down to business.

"Ali!" I yelled from the dressing room.

"What's the problem, Bells?" she asked. She sounded like she was getting annoyed. Shopping with me on a regular day wasn't the easiest, so she was having trouble with my constant complaining about how nothing looked right.

"None of these works! Keep looking… please!" I thought it wise to say 'please', because I had a feeling that she was about to rip my head off. She came back to the dressing room and put her latest pick on the back of the door. I almost didn't need to try it on, because I fell in love with it on the hanger. It was going to get me noticed but it didn't deviate from the style I usually dressed in.

"I LOVE IT, ALICE!!! LOVE IT!!" I swung the door open to show her.

"It's perfect, Bella! Let's go find some shoes and then we can head to my place to get ready. Rose is going to meet us there and all the guys are getting ready at Em's" she spoke really fast.

We found our shoes and a few accessories and then we were headed to Ali's house. I couldn't wait for tonight. I was beyond excited. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this way.

**

* * *

**

**EPOV**

"Sooo, what are you up to, Eddie Boy?" teased Emmett.

"What the hell are you talking about, shit-face?" I questioned him.

"What are you taking everyone out to dinner for? The last time you did this shit, it was because you couldn't find a good way to tell me that you fucked up my Jeep!" He looked angry.

"Look, Emmett, your Jeep is fine! I got it fixed, didn't I? So, let the shit go, bro! The reason that I'm taking everyone out to dinner is because Rose told me that Bella was upset during lunch today, so I thought a night out would cheer her up some. That's it." I defended myself.

I was a little panicked when after I came from the music room with Angela. Bella and Alice were nowhere to be found. I asked Rose where they were and she barely looked up from her nails to tell me that Bella had ran out of the cafeteria and she seemed upset about something.

The first thought that popped into my head was that it had something to do with her ex-boyfriend Jacob Black. He was horrible to Bella. I had never saw Bella cry as much as she did when she was with Jacob. He was never physically violent with her, but emotionally he made Bella feel less than what she was. On several occasions Emmett, Jasper and I went down to the reservation to deliver him an 'ass-kicking', but Bella always pleaded with me not to hurt him. I didn't understand why, but because Bella asked me not to hurt him and I loved her, I couldn't do it. That was until she showed up outside of my house at 3 am during the last week of summer before we started Tenth grade.

She was crying, she was wet from the rain and she was shaking uncontrollably. She was telling me in between broken sobs that she and Jacob got into an argument and he was yelling about how stupid and immature she was and that she would never amount to anything in life. She asked him to take her home, but he refused. When he finally told her that he was going to take her home, he dropped her off in the middle of nowhere, took her cell phone and told her that she could find her own way home. She was wandering around in the middle of the fucking woods from 10 pm until she stumbled onto my doorstep at 3am! To say that I was pissed would be an understatement. I made her some soup while she took a warm bath. I woke Ali up and told her to take care of Bella. I called Emmett and Jasper… and let's just say that Jacob ended up in the hospital pretty messed up.

Since then, I have always been a little over-protective of Bells. She was the sweetest girl I knew. She was smart, beautiful and she put up with my shit. I couldn't have asked God for a better best friend. I used to wonder what it would be like if Bells and I became more, but I looked at our friendship and I knew that I never wanted to risk losing that by trying to explore more with her. My fear was that I would put my heart out on the line and she would tell me that she only looked at me as a brother or a friend, so I decided against entertaining that possibility. Then there were the girls at school who just seemed attracted to me like a moth to a flame. I was young and having fun in the beginning. Now, though, I was looking for more. I wanted some substance… something real… something _right_. I knew that I would find it one day, but I just had to be patient.

**

* * *

**

**BPOV**

We walked into the house and were greeted by Esme.

"Hey, girls. I see you guys went to the mall. Don't you ever get tired of shopping?" she joked.

We both looked at her like she sprouted a second head.

"I'm just kidding, girls! I know shopping is no joking matter as far as you guys are concerned. What are you up to for tonight? Carlisle and I are going out for the weekend to this cute little cottage, so we won't be back until Sunday night. I trust you and Edward will be able to take care of yourselves... right?" She looked at Alice.

"Yes, mother, I'll make sure to keep Edward out of trouble. We are all headed to 'Bellavitae' for dinner and then we are going to that new club 'Aria' after." She explained.

"Ok, that sounds like fun. Bella, if it's alright with your dad, I would like for you to stay here this weekend, because while Alice is keeping an eye on Edward, someone will need to keep an eye on Alice." She laughed, "You, girls, be careful and you know the rules. Cab there, cab back… ok?" she gave us her warm motherly look.

"We know." Alice and I said in unison

"Just making sure." She winked, "I love you, girls. And have fun! I know I will!" she laughed.

We told her we loved her, gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and took off to Ali's room to listen to music while we waited for Rose. Rose arrived about fifteen minutes later and we all took separate bathrooms and proceeded to get ready. We met up in Ali's room and started singing and dancing as we got dressed. I was wearing a black and blue Tulip Hem Tank dress, with blue satin court pumps, my bright blue Joyce clutch and Alice had painted my nails a dark blue to match my outfit. I finished the look off with my Sapphire blue and silver bangles, my 18K diamond necklace with a blue high heel charm on it that Alice and Edward chipped in and brought for my sixteenth birthday. I sprayed on some perfume, put two blue flower clips in my hair and put on some clear lip gloss and was ready to go!

Alice looked bright and beautiful in her strapless black, teal and red dress with a floral design. She painted her nails teal, she had her teal clutch and she wore the Topaz diamond ring that Jazz got her for their three-year anniversary. She put on some teal eyeliner and her black high heels and was now working on Rose's hair.

There were no words to describe Rose. What she thought was a so-so day as far as how she was dressed, everyone else saw as spectacular. It was effortless for her; she was one of those people where you joke that they would look good in a paper bag. But with Rose, it wasn't a joke. She would turn that paper bag into something fierce! She was dressed in a hot pink Temperly London Thandie mini dress, hot pink Mulberry suede clutch, her finger nails were painted hot pink and she wore the ring that Emmett had gotten her for their three-year anniversary which was a pink emerald cut diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds (Jasper and Emmett went shopping for a three-year anniversary gift together… can you tell?). The most amazing thing though was Rose's shoes. They were hot pink with splashes of electric blue and black. She had a knack for adding splashes of color with any outfit. Her hair was flowing in soft curls down her back. She put on some pink lipstick and we were just about ready to go. Alice called the cab company and we headed over to Emmett's.

We paid the cab driver and headed up the drive way. Emmett was standing at the door in a blue button up shirt and blue jeans.

"HOT GIRLS' ALERT! RING THE ALARM!!!!" he yelled as we approached the porch.

"Thank you, thank you!" we took a bow and did a little turn, "Do we get the 'Emmett seal of approval'?" I asked.

"You bet your ass you do!" he laughed. He snatched Rose up into a big hug and gave her a kiss on the forehead and we started to head inside. I was moving a lot slower than the other girls, because I was nervous to face Edward. I knew at some point tonight that he was going to ask me about earlier today. But my plan was to get him to have so much fun and to see me having so much fun that he would just brush it off as me having a bad case of PMS. I took another quick deep breath on the porch and headed in. I heard voices coming from the kitchen.

"Where is my Bells?" Edward asked. Oh shit, he's already looking for me! Pull it together, Bella. Put a smile on your face. I walked into the kitchen.

"Is my Eddie looking for me?" I smiled. He walked over and I took that time to notice that he was in a black and grey button down shirt and black jeans. He looked really… _really_ good.

He grabbed me up, swung me around and hugged me, "Hey!" he said as he put me down. I was a little shocked by the greeting, but I quickly set that aside.

"Hey…" I smiled back. He kissed me on the cheek, "You look amazing by the way." He winked at me.

"Why, thank you. You don't look half bad yourself!" I winked back.

I looked over and noticed the silly little smile on Alice's face as Jasper held her from behind. I also noticed that Jasper was paying close attention to the interaction between Edward and I. If Alice had told Jasper, I was literally going to strangle her. I gave her a look and raised my eyebrow at her. She immediately got the message.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Bella! Have a little faith, would you!" she pretended to look wounded. I laughed at her and everyone else looked pretty confused.

"What was that about?" Edward nudged me.

"Oh… nothing… Your sister is crazy, but I love her for it! We've had quite a day" I smiled.

"About today…" Edward started, but before he could continue, Alice yelled that it was time to make our way to dinner. She always came to the rescue. Before I went outside to the cab, I called my dad to let him know where I was going and asked him if it was ok to stay at Alice's this weekend. Of course, he said it was fine and he was going on a long fishing trip this weekend, so he felt better about me not being left alone for the weekend. I hung up and headed outside.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up at 'Bellavitae', we went inside and the waitress escorted us to our table. She told me that my uncle John wasn't in tonight, but he called and told them that we would be coming. We thanked her and she left the table to give us some time to go over the wine list. Rose and Emmett were whispering at the end of the table, so it looked like it was up to Edward, Jazz, Alice and I to pick out the wine.

"What do my fair ladies feel like drinking, tonight?" Jasper winked. Alice loved when he talked like this.

"I don't really have a preference other than I would like a white wine. I'll let Alice choose which one" I said. Alice looked over the wine list and as she was doing so I turned to Edward.

"I'm sorry. We so didn't include you in that discussion. Was there something in particular you wanted?" I asked.

"It's okay, Bells. Whatever you and Ali want to drink is fine by me. It's my treat tonight, so I want to make sure all of my girls are taken care of." He smiled.

"Look at you! Always the gentleman." I pinched his cheek and he blushed. He hated when I did that, but he always tolerated it and I knew he was being extra tolerable tonight, because he wanted some information out of me.

"Keep it up, Swan… and you'll regret it." He joked.

Alice had decided that we were going to order a bottle of _Vernaccia di San Gimignano_. I applauded her choice and she gave a small bow as Edward poured everyone a glass. The waitress came back and asked if we were ready to order. I was still looking over the menu and was unsure of what to try this time. Edward tapped my shoulder.

"Will you let me order for you?" he asked. I blushed ten different shades of red.

"Sure," I mumbled.

"Awwww…" Came the chorus of everyone at the table. What the hell was wrong with these people?!?

"Shut up!" Edward and I said at the same time. We all burst out laughing.

Edward ordered me the Ravioli di Spinaci e Ricotta con Burro e Salvia which was basically Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with Butter and Sage. It was absolutely delicious. He then ordered Gelato Affogato which is every girl's dream dessert. It's Vanilla Gelato covered in Espresso. Edward knew how to make me happy… he should, because he's been doing it for years. We all sat around the table, stuffed!

"I don't know what inspired you to take us all out tonight, Edward, but please say thank you to the inspiration! This was great." Rose said. Edward looked at me and then turned to Rose.

"You, guys, act like I don't ever take you out. I love all of you, guys. Is it a crime to want to show ya'll from time to time?" He smirked.

"Okay, okay enough with this mushy shit. Pay the bill and let's go dance!" yelled Emmett.

"You sure know how to ruin a moment, jack-ass" Alice slapped him in the back of his head.

Edward took care of the bill and we hopped in a cab and headed over to Aria. This was about to be the best part of the night. I've been begging Alice to take me out dancing for the last two weeks. I doubt that there was going to be anything that would be able to ruin my night.

**

* * *

**

**EPOV**

Dinner was amazing. I tried to ask Bella about earlier today, but Alice so strategically yelled that it was time to go. She might not think that I know that she did that shit on purpose, but I do. It's ok. I'll try not to press the issue, but Bella was never really any good at keeping things from me. It worried me though that she seemed to be clinging more so to Alice right now, which meant that Alice knew something none of the rest of us knew. How do I know that? It's simple. Bella did the same thing with me, as far as Jacob was concerned. She didn't want everyone to know how badly he treated her, so I kept that secret for her, until she was ready to share it with our group. Whatever this was that she was keeping was huge and it was changing her attitude. I had to get to the bottom of this. She did smile and laugh a lot during dinner and it was always great to see her smile.

When she walked into the house behind everyone else, I saw something on her face that resembled nervousness, but I couldn't quite place it. She looked great and I made a point of letting her know that, but that wasn't weird because we did it all the time. We were going to the club now and I had a feeling that something was going to be different tonight. That feeling had the hair on the back of my neck standing up, but not necessarily in a bad way.

**

* * *

**

**BPOV**

We convinced the cab driver to turn on some music and we got the party started right in the cramped backseat of the cab. It was moments like these, that I cherished the most. Moments where I could let me hair down, forget about my worries and have fun. The cab pulled up at front doors of the club. Edward and Alice went to talk to the bouncer at the door and we were escorted in. I don't know what they said whenever they talked to these bouncers at the clubs, but it always prevented us from standing in line, so I wasn't about to complain.

"Let's get this party started, ladies!" Emmett pumped his fist in the air, like an over excited five-year old.

"Bella, Rose let's go to the restroom and freshen up. Guys, the booth upstairs in the center is ours. Order the drinks and we'll meet you up there." Alice gave out orders.

We went to the restroom and re-applied lip gloss, mascara and eyeliner. We talked about songs we wanted the DJ to play and then headed back upstairs to our boys. When we got up there, we saw three fruity umbrella drinks on the table and three beers.

"Which asshole made the assumption that I wanted a fruity-ass-umbrella drink?" Rose looked at Emmett.

"Sorry, babe, I thought you would want what Ali and Bells were drinking. I'll go get you a beer or something." Emmett stuttered out, while Jazz and Edward tried to suppress their laughs. Rose walked over to Emmett and gave him a kiss.

"Just joking, baby… got you!" she laughed.

"Oh, you are in some major trouble tonight, girl. _Major_ trouble." He smirked at her.

"Get a room!" shouted Jazz as Alice was sitting on his lap running her fingers through his hair with one hand and using the other to sip her drink.

"Look who's talking!" I laughed. Alice looked at me.

"Stop the hate, Bella, it's sooooo not attractive, boo!" she joked.

"Watch how you talk to her, Ali, you know I like her more than you!" Edward smirked at Alice and I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Real mature, Bella. Come on, let's go request something and dance!" she grabbed me and Rose and we shot off towards the DJ booth.

We requested Boom Boom Pow, by the Black Eyed Peas and hit the dance floor. At first we were just goofing around and dancing with each other. Alice and Rose loved for us all to give a show, because we knew Edward, Jasper and Emmett would always be watching. They called it being "protective", but for Jazz and Emmett that was not the case! As I was getting more caught up in the music, I didn't notice a guy had grabbed my hips and started to dance with me. I started to push him off, but then I thought about it… I'm here to have a good time and a good time I will have.

**

* * *

**

**EPOV**

The girl's went to the DJ booth and soon the club was loud with the sounds of the Black Eyed Peas streaming through the speakers. I noticed Alice, Bella and Rose caught up into the music. They didn't know that they had attracted a crowd of guys who were looking at them like they were pieces of meat.

"What the hell, man?!?" boomed Emmett, "Look at how that jerk-off is staring at my girlfriend's ass!" Emmett always got this way at the club. I don't know how many times we have had to tell him that Rose only had eyes for him and that if things got out of control, she knew how to handle herself. Hell, Rose was one of the only girls I knew that would stand toe to toe with a guy and believe she could beat his ass and she would make the guy believe it to. She was a firecracker and everyone knew it.

While I was drifting off in thought, I had taken my eyes off the dance floor. When I looked back down there, I noticed some guy with his hands all over Bella. Who the fuck did he think he was? Most importantly… What the fuck did he think he was doing? I didn't notice that I was gripping my beer tight until I heard a voice.

"Whoa there, buddy, what seems to be the problem?" asked Jasper.

"Huh? What? What are you talking about?" I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"If you grip that bottle any tighter, it's going to break in your hands! Daddy Cullen isn't here and I don't think you wanna take a trip to the ER tonight!" he laughed.

"It's nothing, Jazz. Just thinking..." I tried to convince him and myself at the same time. Where did that reaction come from? Why did it bother me so much that Bella was down there having a good time? Ugh, I don't know, but I think I better get a fuckin' grip, or someone is going to be on the receiving end of the obvious built up tension I have going on here.

I took a deep breath and another swig of beer and allowed my eyes to wander back to the dance floor. The first guy was gone, but he had been replaced by another big, greasy looking guy and he looked like he was making Bella uncomfortable. I had to get down there… NOW. I told the boys I was going to dance and headed towards the stairs.

**

* * *

**

**BPOV**

I was having fun dancing with this complete stranger. He could keep up and he wasn't stepping on my toes, so it was all good. The song went off and I thanked the guy for the dance. His name was Colin and he was cute enough so I gave him my number. Alice ran back to the DJ booth and requested another "club banger" as we liked to call them. Beyonce's "Single Ladies" came blasting through the club and I couldn't help but start dancing. Another guy came up to dance with me, but he was a little too close and he smelled like pure alcohol. I didn't like the way he was touching and grinding on me and he had about 2.5 seconds until my knee collided with his family jewels! I started counting in my head… 1…

"There you are, baby." I heard a familiar voice call out, but I was sure he wasn't talking to me. It was Edward and he was walking towards me and it even looked as if he was looking at me, but why the hell would he be calling me "baby"? I didn't believe it until he grabbed my hand and drug me out from the middle of the dance floor.

"Are you alright?" he smiled.

"Yeah, I'm good now. How did you know that I was about to try and kick his ass?" I said.

"Well from what I could see from where I was sitting, it looked like you were uncomfortable and angry. So, I thought that I would save the day as always." He laughed, "Let's go sit down for a while. I see Rose and Alice have made it back upstairs." He grabbed my hand and didn't let go until we were back at the table. I wonder if he felt the same spark of electricity that I felt when he grabbed my hand. Probably not.

"Well, well, well, Bella. You seem to be the hot commodity tonight!" Rose gave me a high five. I blushed, because I knew guys were looking, but I tried to shrug it off. I wonder if the guy I really wanted to take notice was even paying attention.

We settled into our seats, with Alice on Jasper's lap and Rose on Emmett's lap. Edward and I were sitting side by side. I noticed a girl walking up in this barely-there skirt that looked like if she sneezed or coughed the wrong way, her ass would be on display. She came over and stood right in between Edward and me and introduced herself to Edward as Rebecca. How fucking rude! You see us talking and then you walk right up in between us and pretend that you don't see me?!? How about I make you feel me, since I seem to be invisible! I was about to straight claw this skanky whore's eyes out. I sat there and fumed for a moment, before I excused myself to the restroom so that I could recite "Violence is never the answer" In my head about a thousand times. I finished up in the bathroom and when I came out Edward was nowhere to be found. You have got to be kidding me! I look on the dance floor and there is skanky whore and Edward dancing. If that's what you want to call it. It looked like they were having sex on the middle of the dance floor. I flagged down the waitress and ordered a shot of vodka. I took the shot quickly and slammed the glass down on the table. That seemed to have gotten Alice's attention. She followed my gaze to the dance floor.

"Oh, hell no!" she mouthed to be so that the others wouldn't hear her. A moment later my cell phone vibrated in my clutch. It was a text from Alice.

**************

_B,_

_What are you going to do?_

**************

**************

_Ali,_

_Oh, you just wait and see. It's not over till I say it's over ;)_

**************

And I meant that shit. I think it's time to play a little dirty. I just hope everyone is ready for it. They better be.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! As always...tell me what you think! My twitter name is Sierra812. I'll post spoilers and give updates about when the next chapter will be out so FOLLOW me! :) I'm anticipating the next chapter to be out later this week, or this weekend.**


	4. Love In This Club

**A/N: Hello again! Happy 2010!! I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year! Here is Chapter 4. I want to thank all of you who are reading and reviewing! It means a lot to me! :) **

**To my wonderful bet****a TwiDi- Words can not express how thankful I am for you! I always know when I need advice you are just an email away, and for that I thank you! Thanks for putting up with me, and encouraging me to keep going! I said it once...well maybe twice, but i'll say it again.... YOU ROCK, BB! :)**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Twilight! I'm just having fun! :)**

**Chapter 4 - Love In This Club**

**Baby you know I'd be down  
But we can't have all these people starin' standin' around  
This right here is only for your eyes to see  
But you gettin carried away  
Sayin we can (Do it where ever)** **(Love In This Club Part II, Usher/Beyonce)**

**The way you touching me  
Like no other (I'ma make you feel insane)  
You trying your hardest to make me give in  
But I'ma be down to give you what you want  
if you keep it up**

**I strongly doubt this velvet rope would hold me up  
And I don't won't security rollin' up on us (I got you)  
I'm not hesitating I just don't wanna rush**

**BPOV**

I was livid, I couldn't clearly remember a time that I had been this mad, but you know what? I wasn't an ugly, trashy skanky hoe, so I was not about to let Edward's choice in trashy females fuck up my night. I downed another shot and decided that I would go find Collin and make the most of the rest of the night. Edward wouldn't be the only one having fun. I got ready to get up when Rose put her hand on my shoulder. She looked at me then at Alice and she frowned. Uh-oh… we were in trouble.

"You and you. Get your asses up and follow me. NOW!" she practically hissed. Shit, I hated when Rose got like this. She knew something and the two things Rose hated most were being lied to and being kept in the dark about things. She led us to a semi-quiet section in the club. She turned to me.

"Do you wanna start? Or do you, Alice?" She glared at both of us. There was no way I was opening my mouth. I'll let Alice start and I'll follow her lead. I know, I'm acting like a coward, but you don't know Rose!

"What are you talking about, Rose?" Alice looked at me and chuckled, but you could tell she was nervous. _Wrong answer, Alice!_

"Don't play me like a damn fool, Alice! I've known you and Bella long enough to know when you guys are keeping a secret from me. Out with it! Right now or I swear to God…" she was pointing at us and she was turning red. I took a deep breath. I couldn't let Ali hang out to dry. It was my story to tell.

"Rose, first off I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I love you and you know that. I just didn't know how to tell anyone and I probably _wouldn't_ have told anyone if Alice wasn't so damn intuitive!" I started.

I told her everything I told Alice about how I felt about Edward. I stood back and waited for her reaction. She started laughing and when I say laughing I mean she was doubled over, clenching her stomach and fighting back tears.

"Is that it?!?" she asked between laughs.

"I think everyone, but the naive 'wanna-be' men that we hang around, knows how you feel, Bella! I've been watching you and your reactions to the low-life fuck-mouths that Edward hangs around with. I've been waiting for you to make a move." She had calmed down a little bit.

"Well, thanks for letting me know how horrible I am at keeping my emotions in check." I glared at her.

"It's okay, Bella. This is something that Alice and I expected to happen. We were just waiting for you and Edward to get your heads out of your asses! It looks like yours is out, but we have a little work to do on Edward." She had this weird sparkle in her eyes, but I knew I could trust her not to meddle too much.

"I have a question for you though, Bella. Why did you NOT knock the fuck out of that Rebecca bitch, when she strolled over like we owed her something?" she looked at me.

"Rose, not everyone is as violent as you and you really should watch your temper, young lady. You can't just go around beating people's asses. You're worse than some boys, but thanks for understanding and not being too upset with me!" I hugged her.

"Whatever! You and Alice act like such sappy, emotional girls sometimes! It's okay to knock a few people on their asses from time to time" she winked.

We walked back to our section of the bar and I noticed Edward sitting there with Rebecca sitting on his lap. I walked up and grabbed my fresh drink that had just been placed on the table. I refused to look in Edward's direction, because I was unsure of how I would look and what I would say. I turned to walk away when Edward grabbed my hand.

"Hey, Bells, I want to introduce you to..." he started and I just couldn't let him finish. I knew I was about to say something that I generally would never say, that's when the flood gates burst open.

"You are _so_ not about to introduce me to her, Edward. Are you kidding me right now? Are you? You're going to introduce me to some female you are about to fuck and dump? Really, Edward? I know her name is Rebecca and that was already more than what I wanted or _needed_ to know. I could _not_ care any less about _who_ she is, or _what_ she does. Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to dance. I'll catch you later… _maybe_." I said in the calmest voice I could manage. I turned to Rose and Alice.

"I'll see you later, girls. Text me when you're getting ready to go. I'll let you know if I'm ready then. If not, I'll meet you back at your house, Ali." I smiled at my two girls, as Rose gave me the thumbs up and a wink. I turned around and went in search of Collin.

**EPOV**

I watched as Bella disappeared into the crowd. What was her problem? I've notice lately that her fuse is getting shorter and shorter. The stunt she pulled earlier today and just now. What the hell was that? Bella is never rude, but the way she just acted right now was way out of character for her. We are going to have to sit down and talk it out… soon. I need to know what her issue is. I turned back around to Rose shooting daggers at me with her eyes. Oh God, here we go.

"You are such a complete fucking asshole." She threw the cherry from her drink at me.

"Rose, I'm not in the mood for this tonight. Please, give it a rest." I stared at her.

"I'll do and say whatever I want to, Edward. How about YOU give it a rest, you, dense jack-ass! These skanky-ass little girls, you bring around us, are quite enough to deal with. It's enough to just have to look at them, but then you wanna INTRODUCE them to us like we give two flying fucks about knowing who the fuck they are? We know they won't be around long enough to remember our names! Get over yourself, Edward. And while you're at it… get a fuckin' clue, because I don't know about the rest of us, but I'm quite frankly sick of watching skanky whores go through your life like a damn revolving door!" she stood up and walked away. Emmett and Jasper followed her.

I sat there stunned. I couldn't stop replaying her words in my head. Was that Bella's problem? Was that _everyone's_ problem? I didn't realize what impact my 'extra-curricular activities' had on my friends. I mean, I was supposed to be taking them out tonight and I ended up with Rebecca sitting on my lap and then to top it all off, I tried to shove her in my friend's faces. I was just trying to have a little fun and you know what? I don't owe Rose a damn thing. She'll get over it. She always does. It's just how she is. I was snatched from my thoughts by Rebecca rubbing on my arm.

"Those chicks have some serious problems," she laughed and pointed at Rose. I started to respond, but Alice beat me to it.

"Sweetheart, I suggest you stop pointing, stop laughing and you, for damn sure, better not finish that sentence. If Rose hears you and if _I_ have to sit here and hear you finish, I don't think it's going to end very well for you. Consider this your one and only warning. She isn't in the best of moods as you can tell and neither am I." Alice smiled sweetly at her.

"Whatever." she rolled her eyes. I started to warn her to watch it, because I wouldn't be able to help her, if Alice or Rose jumped off the deep end.

"Let's get out of here," She stood up and grabbed my hand. I breathed out a sigh of relief, because I didn't know what mood Rose would be in when she got back to the table and I thought it wise that I remove Rebecca from the equation. I noticed the look on Alice's face, but I ignored it.

"I'll be back, Ali." I looked down as I spoke. I had a feeling that there were going to be negative repercussions for this.

**BPOV**

It felt so good to walk away from that situation, but as I walked around the club I wondered if I was a little too harsh. I mean, I didn't know the girl and I was rude. That is SO not like me. Oh, well, I'm tired of always pretending that everything is okay. I need to start saying what's on my mind.

"Hey there, beautiful," I turned around and it was just the person I was looking for.

"Hey, Collin, I was just looking for you." I smiled up at him.

"Oh, is that right?" he smirked back.

"Let's dance." I grabbed his hand and rushed to the dance floor.

I hope it wasn't just the alcohol playing tricks on me, but Collin was more than just a little cute. He was about 6'2", blonde hair and blue eyes. It looked like he stepped right off the cover of a magazine. We danced for a few songs before we headed over to the bar to talk. I was having a great time. Collin was hilarious, he was smart and he was the perfect gentleman. He told me about how he was in his second semester of college at the University of Washington and he was majoring in Literature. We had so much in common, that it was kind of scary. I told him about my cute little dysfunctional family that I was grateful for despite everything. It was just an easy conversation and I could see us hanging out after tonight. This was totally unexpected, but it most certainly was a pleasant surprise.

**EPOV**

I walked with Rebecca towards the door. Did I even want to do this? Did I want to leave my friends here for a quick fuck with a girl I just met? I decided that I couldn't. Bella was mad at me, Rose was mad at me and even Alice was mad at me. It seemed that the only people who didn't have an opinion were Emmett and Jasper. What the hell was wrong with these women in my life? I want to shrug it off as them being emotional, but they were never like this. Well, Rose was, but not Alice and Bella. I had a feeling that this all centered around Bella, because as soon as she started acting weird, so did Alice and Rose. I'm most worried about Bella. I hated it when she was mad at me and I hated it even more when she shut down all lines of communication with me. I need to find her.

I walked around the club, but I couldn't find her. I was starting to get worried until I looked over to the bar and I saw her sitting there with the first guy she was dancing with tonight. They were engaged in a deep conversation and she was smiling and laughing and touching his arm. She looked happy. She looked beautiful and it was because of… _him_. Why did I want so badly for it to be _me_? Why did I feel like going over there punching this douche bag in the throat and throwing her over my shoulder? Wait; hold up, where is this coming from? This is the second time tonight that I have seen Bella and had these overwhelming feelings of… _lust_? And… _jealousy_? It must be something in the air. We are definitely going to need to talk, but before I can talk to her about her issues, I need to sort mine out.

I decided that it was time to get out of here. It was close to 2 am and I just wanted to go home to a hot shower and my piano. I pulled out my phone to send a mass text.

**************

_Bells, Rose, Em & Jazz,_

_Are you guys ready to go?_

_E_

**************

I decided to send Bella another text.

**************

_B,_

_Whatever I did to upset you, I'm sorry. You know I would rather cut off my left nut than to intentionally make you sad. Until you say you forgive me, I'll look like this :(_

_E_

**************

I watched Bella take out her phone. She looked at it and frowned and then she smiled. I hoped she was coming home with us and not whoever it was that she was hanging out with now.

**BPOV**

I was enjoying my time with Collin when I received two text messages from Edward. The first one kind of pissed me off a little, because I was really having fun with Collin and I didn't want it to be cut short because Edward was done fucking with Rebecca. The second text made me smile a little, because as much as he infuriated me sometimes, I just couldn't stay mad at him. I typed a quick message.

***********

_E,_

_I'm ready to go. I'm staying over your house this weekend. Let me think about forgiving you. We'll work it out when we get home ;)_

_B_

***********

I don't know what I was trying to imply with that wink at the end of the message, but I sent it anyway. I told Collin that I had a great time and I would talk to him later. We made arrangements for a possible date next weekend. I gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek and then went off in search of my friends. I didn't have to look far, because I spotted Edward about 10 ft from where Collin and I were at the bar. Was he watching me? I had a feeling that he was, because he had a look on his face like somebody stole his puppy. Well, good… that's what he gets.

Rose and Alice were beside me as we all made our way over to Edward, who was now standing at the entrance of the club. He called the cab and it was waiting out front. No one said anything to anyone as we climbed into the car. About 3 minutes into the cab ride the silence was killing me.

"Can someone say something?" I whined, "Did everyone have fun?" I asked. They all stared at me. Alice spoke first.

"Yeah, I had a good night. Despite the drama, it was alllll good, Bells. I hope you had fun. I saw you with that guy and I just have to tell you that he was sexy!" She winked at me.

I knew what she was trying to do and it made me giggle a little bit. She knew Edward was listening so she was laying it on thick!

"Babe, I think I'm a bit jealous. My heart is breaking." Jasper clutched at his heart like he was having a heart attack.

"Aw, hon, you know you're the only cowboy for me!" she pecked him on the lips, as he sat back with a huge grin on his face.

"So, Bella, tell me about this guy! What's his name? Where is he from? How old is he?" she rambled off question after question.

"Whoa there, girl! Calm down. One question at a time!" I poked her in the ribs.

"His name is Collin. He is 19 and he was born and raised in Washington." I blushed as I thought back to the events of tonight.

"Sounds like a catch. Anything would be better than an oblivious douche bag." Rose piped in as she extended her chin in Edward's direction. I looked up quickly to make sure he wasn't looking at her. He wasn't. He was looking out the window and it looked like something was bothering him. I put my hand on his leg and he turned to look at me and offered me a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes like it usually did. I turned back to Rose.

"Yeah, he made a really good first impression. We made plans for next weekend, so we'll see how it goes." As I finished my sentence I noticed that Edward's whole body became tense against my leg. What the hell was his problem?

We dropped Emmett and Jasper off at Emmett's house. They wanted Edward to come along and make it a guy night or 'porn night' as we liked to call it, but Edward said that he would catch them later and he just wanted to go home. Everyone said their goodbyes and we headed for Edward and Ali's house. We pulled up 5 minutes later and walked up the long driveway. Alice and I were walking arm in arm and I suspected that she had a little more to drink than I did, because she was kind of staggering. Edward was dragging along behind us. We got to the door and Alice couldn't seem to find her keys. I felt an electric current go through my body as Edward's breath tickled the back of my neck.

"I got it." He said as he slid the key into the door.

"Thank you," I mumbled.

"Don't mention it." He said as he scooted past me and Alice and headed upstairs.

"Ohhhh… somebody's in a bad mooooddd" Alice laughed.

I pushed her inside and we went to the kitchen for a glass of water. Alice was very talkative when she was a little tipsy, so she was now practically shouting things at me.

"I think you should go up there and Put. It. On. Him! Show him what he's been missing" she said a little too loudly.

"Shut up, Alice, before he hears you!" I put my hand over her mouth.

"Would that me so bad, Bella? Huh? Would it? I promise not to listennn." She sang as she sipped her water.

"Ok, missy, you have had enough excitement for tonight. Let's go upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll take the guest room tonight." I led her to the stairs.

"Goodnight, Bells." She hugged me.

"Night, Ali, we'll talk in the morning." I said as I closed the bedroom door. I wanted to go talk to Edward, but I didn't know what I wanted to say. I threw my hands up and decided that I would think about it in the shower. I turned the shower on and jumped in. The hot water felt wonderful against all the tension knots I had in my neck and back. I tried not to take too long in the shower, because I had made up my mind. I was going to go speak with Edward. Something was bothering him and I needed to know what it was. I got out of the shower. Brushed my hair into a ponytail, slipped on my blue plaid boxers and blue tank top and headed for Edwards room. I heard his shower going.

**EPOV**

When I got in the house, emotionally, I felt drained. Was I turning into a bitch? Probably. All I wanted to do was to take a shower and play something on my piano. I needed to release some built up tension. I heard Alice yelling about something downstairs, but I really didn't pay much attention. My shower was calling my name and I was getting ready to answer. I jumped in the shower and took my time. I don't know how long I was in there, but the water started to get kind of cold. I realized that I should probably get out. I tied a towel around my waist and used another to towel dry my hair. I headed out into my room. When I looked up I noticed that Bella was lying on her stomach in the center of my bed. She usually did this, so it was no big deal, but tonight she had on these little boxer shorts and a tank top that didn't cover her whole stomach and I could tell because a little bit of her back was showing between the top of the boxers and the bottom of the tank top. I swallowed hard and shook my head. What in the hell is wrong with me? I must really need to be fucked or something. Bella gave me a small smile and patted the bed next to her.

"Uh, give me a minute to throw some pants on, Bella. I don't want you to try and take advantage of me on the bed in only a towel. I don't think you could keep your hands to yourself." I winked at her. _Shit, did I want her to keep her hands to herself?_

"Whatever, Edward! I don't want you." She blushed as she said that. Hmmm… _interesting_. I must get to the bottom of this.

I went into the bathroom and slipped on some pajama pants and went to lay on the bed. She sat quietly at first. Then she started biting her lip. I knew she had something she wanted to say, but I don't think she knew how to say it. I was in the same position. She opened her mouth and then closed it. Opened it. Closed it. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Spit it out, Bells. I don't bite. Unless you want me too…" I waggled my eyebrows at her. _I probably should stop joking like this, because it's not helping my situation… at all._

"Well, Edward. I was just wondering…" she stopped.

"Yeah?" I motioned for her to continue.

"You just seemed to be in a funny mood tonight and I wanted to know if there was anything you wanted to talk about?" She twirled a piece of her hair around her finger.

"Me? In a funny mood? I think you got us confused, Bells." I poked her in her side. She giggled and rolled onto her back.

"But I'll make you a deal. If you tell me what has been bothering you, I'll tell you what's wrong with me." I looked at her. She blushed bright red.

"That's what I thought." I smirked, "I know you'll tell me when the time is right, but it hurts me a little bit that you feel like you can't tell me." I brushed the stray strands of hair away from her face, "Come with me?" I didn't wait for her to answer. I grabbed her hand and I guided her to the music room in the basement. I sat down on the piano bench and she sat next to me. I let my fingers tell a story.

**BPOV**

The sight of Edward stepping out of the shower with little water droplets still clinging to his skin and rolling down his toned abdomen would be a vision that is forever etched into my mind. I had seen Edward wet before, but since I've developed these feelings for him everything about him makes me tingle with desire. I struggled for the right words to ask him of what he was so upset about earlier, but of course he flipped the script and was now questioning me. I was relieved when he grabbed my hand and led me to the basement. I sat down on the piano bench and watched wide-eyed and amazed at the beautiful sounds he was able to coax out of this instrument. He was playing a soft melody that sounded like a lullaby. I laid my head on his shoulder as I often did when he played for me. I closed my eyes and felt his movements as his fingers moved across the keys. I looked up at him briefly and the look on his face was of complete contentment. I don't think there was anywhere else he would rather be in this very moment. I looked back down and before I knew it, I was drifting off into a deep sleep. The last thing I remember was uttering the words…

"You're forgiven. I love you, Edward." And he responded before I was lost to the land of sleep.

"I love you too, Isabella. I love you too."

_Why did he sound so different? _Before I had a chance to question it further, the world went dark.

**A/N: I hope you liked it! Press the review button and tell me what you think! I'm working on chapter 5 and hope to have it done my Sunday! Thanks for reading! :)**


	5. Vulnerable

**A/N: Thanks everyone for your lovely reviews/alerts/favorites! It means a lot to me, that you all are interested in reading my little story. Remember, this is my first attempt at a multi-chap fic, and I must say that I am enjoying every single minute of writing this! The clothes in this chapter and last chapter will be added to my profile tomorrow, as it is late and I kinda need to sleep before work! ;)**

**To my beta TwiDi: Thank you for everyyyy thing! You truly don't know how much it means to me. I'm so very glad to have you as my beta! Together, I feel that we can make this story awesome! Luv ya, BB!**

**Disclaimer: As always, I DO NOT own Twilight or any of its characters. I'm just having a hell of a time playing with them! ;)**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5-Vulnerable**

**and your slowly shaking finger tips  
show that your scared like me so  
let's pretend we're alone  
and I know you may be scared  
and I know we're unprepared  
but I don't care **

**tell me tell me  
what makes you think that you are invincible  
I can see it in your eyes that you're so sure  
please don't tell me that I am the only one that's vulnerable…  
impossible…**

**(Vulnerable-Secondhand Serenade)**

**BPOV**

I opened my eyes and I was being carried by Edward. He looked down and gave me a small smile.

"Go back to sleep. I'll tuck you in." he smirked.

"Thanks for taking care of me." I mumbled.

"Don't I always?" he kissed my forehead. I didn't have the energy to argue with him, so I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep.

I woke up to the rays of the sun beating down on my face. I looked around and noticed that I was in Edward's room, in Edward's bed. Oh God, what happened last night? I looked to my left and noticed that Edward was still asleep. I loved watching him sleep. He looked so vulnerable, so peaceful. I would give anything for him to look like this all the time. He deserved to be happy and he deserved peace. That's why I was so confused about why he put up with some of the girls he dealt with. They weren't any good for him and deep down I knew that he knew it was true. I don't know if he was just occupying time until the right thing came along, because I knew in my heart that he wasn't the "play boy" that everyone in school thought he was.

Just looking at him now took my breath away. The crease that was always in his forehead was gone. He was completely relaxed. I wondered what he was dreaming about. As I was wondering his lips twitched into a smile. I couldn't help it. I touched his face and he opened his eyes. It took him a while to register that he was looking at me. When he did, his eyes sparkled. All the girls in school always talked about how gorgeous Edward's green eyes were, but they had never seen them in the morning. They were the brightest green when he first woke up. They looked like they could see into your soul. I smiled at him.

"Good morning, beautiful." He yawned.

"Good morning, ugly" I rolled over. Before I could realize what was going on, he pulled me back rolling me on my back, hopped on me and started tickling me.

"Okay, okay, Edward! I'm sorry! You're not ugly!" I squirmed and laughed.

"What am I, Bella?" he continued his assault.

"I have to use the bathroom, please stop!" I was thrashing around on the bed.

"Not until you say what I want to hear!" he kept going. I seriously thought I was going to pee myself.

"Come on, Edward, you know you're more than gorgeous!" I rolled off the bed.

"Ha! That's what I thought!" he smiled in victory.

I got up and ran towards the bathroom. When I came back I sat in front of him on the floor.

"How did I end up in here? Last thing I remember was listening to you play. It was beautiful by the way. You've never played that one for me. What is it called?" I asked.

"Thanks, Bella. That was a new piece that I'm working on, so it doesn't have a name… _yet_." I noticed that he had a tinge of pink to his cheeks, which was weird because Edward never blushed, "You fell asleep while I was playing so I brought you up here to my room. I didn't want to be alone." He looked down as he spoke.

He looked so conflicted. I didn't know what to make of it, but before I could inquire further. There was a knock on his room door.

"Rise and shine, sleepy heads!" Alice sang through the door. This was great, she knew I was in here and that probably meant that she thought something was going on. Ugh, I rubbed my eyes and dived back into bed and put the covers over my head.

"You know she isn't going to go away, right?" Edward stated.

"I know! That doesn't mean we have to answer though." I whined. He got under the covers with me.

"You're just going to hide under here all day?" he poked me in my ribs.

"I wish I could." I pouted, "Let me get up and go make breakfast. You go brush your teeth and take a shower, mister" I held my nose like he smelled. He pushed me off the bed.

"Ow! Asshole!" I rubbed my elbow. I got up and grabbed a pillow and chased him into the bathroom.

"I'll be downstairs when you get out, so you can't hide in there forever, Eddie!" I yelled through the door.

"Just watch me!" he said. I smiled and shook my head. I opened his door and there was Alice standing with her hands on her hips and tapping her foot. I scooted around her and headed for the stairs.

"Are you _really_ going to ignore me?" she ran behind me.

"What are you talking about, my dear Ali?" I ruffled her hair.

"You know what I'm talking about! I woke up this morning to check on you and you weren't in your room. I peeked into Edward's room and you were curled up next to him and he was watching you sleep!" she jumped up and down.

"I want details! All of them!" she squealed. What I was about to tell her was going to break her heart, because as she stood here, I could tell how excited she was to think that Edward and I had finally got our shit straight. Clearly that wasn't case.

"Nothing happened last night, Ali. We were downstairs in the music room and Edward was playing his piano. I fell asleep and he brought me upstairs. That was all that happened." I stated as I continued to stir the pancake mix. Her face scrunched up a little bit before she started back talking.

"Something is going on... the way he was looking at you… It was like… I just don't understand…" she mumbled to herself.

She was right about one thing. _Something was going on_. Why was he watching me sleep? Why did he sound like he was making some grand declaration with the way he said he loved me last night? For the first time, I felt like maybe, just maybe, Edward was as confused as I was. Was he fighting what he was feeling? I had so many questions and I had no idea how to get the answers without conveying my real feelings. I just wasn't ready for them to be out in the open yet. I made pancakes, sausage, eggs and hash browns. As I was putting them on the plate Edward came down with a towel around his neck and he had on a white t-shirt and blue jeans. He looked delicious as always. I turned away from his gaze and blushed. He walked over, grabbed a plate and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"This looks great, Bells." He started devouring his food and I couldn't help but stare at his mouth. It looked like he was making love to the food… the food that _I_ cooked. Oh, what I would do for his mouth to be on my…

"Oh, Bellaaaa…"Alice looked at me with her eyebrows raised. Ha-Ha I had been caught staring at Edward and I was probably on the verge of drooling! I quickly grabbed my plate and sat next to Alice. We ate our breakfast in silence. I didn't trust myself to be able to complete a coherent sentence with him sitting across from me and licking his lips like that. I really needed to get laid.

"Bella, we have to get showered and dressed. We are going over to Rose's house for "girl time" today. She wants to watch movies and have girl talk and I think that we need it. Edward, your presence is requested over at Em's house." She took our plates and put them in the dishwasher.

"Alright, I'll go finish getting ready and I'll head over there. You girls have fun. I'll see you, guys, tonight, bring Rose with you. We need to all have a game night. I'm feeling like Truth or Dare!" he winked. Aw, hell no! Not if I had anything to say about it! I knew what the hell he was trying to do! There was only one way I was going to play this game. There had to be some ground rules set.

I went upstairs to the guest room and got showered. I felt like being casual today, so I threw on a purple and black plaid shirt and some blue jeans. I put on some socks and put on my purple chucks. I grabbed my sunglasses and put them on top of my hair. There would be no makeup today. I just felt like dressing down. I felt good. I was glad when Alice came out of her room dressed in a yellow long sleeve shirt, blue jeans and yellow ballet flats and no makeup. That meant that there would be no surprises today. We headed downstairs and out the door. I noticed that Edward was already gone. We got in Alice's car and headed over to Rose's house. We pulled up and knocked on the door. Rose opened it and we followed her up to her room.

**EPOV**

After Bella fell asleep, I decided to carry her to the guest room and tuck her in, but I felt this overwhelming, indescribable pull towards her. I knew then that I didn't want to lay in my bed alone. This wouldn't be weird, because Bella and I often slept in the same bed. Our parents were worried for a while that we were having sex, because they had no concept of male/female platonic relationships. They eventually got over it, after they saw that Rose and Emmett ended up together as did Alice and Jasper, but Bella and I remained strictly friends. They thought that we were destined to be friends only. I thought so too… up until a couple of days ago. Now, I didn't know what the hell was going on. I wanted to talk to somebody about it, but I knew I couldn't talk to Emmett about it, because he would just make it into some huge joke and not take me seriously and then I would be forced to beat his ass. I knew I could talk to Jasper about it and he wouldn't judge me and he would have some kind of advice to give me. I just had to find the right time to talk to him about all of this. Hell, I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to explain it to him. This was all different types of fucked up.

I stayed up for about 2 hours after Bella fell asleep, just watching her. The way she had a pink tint to her cheeks, the way the stray hairs that had come out of her ponytail would move across her face as she took deep breaths in and out. She really was beautiful and it made me wonder how and why it was so hard for her to find someone who would treat her right and love her the way she deserved. I wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. Hell, I should ask myself the same question. Why was it so hard for me to find substance? None of these girls had what I was looking for. I tried to give all of them an equal opportunity, but after a while I became bored and they just didn't hold my attention anymore. The girls that were semi-interesting always seemed to have a problem with my close relationship with Bella. The moment that they started treating her like shit, they were promptly showed to the door. I would not stand for any female in my life to treat Bella like she didn't belong in it. Bella was the most important girl to me other than my beautiful mother and sister… and sometimes _unknowingly,_ I seeked Bella's approval of the girls I'd dated, but lately when I tried to gage a reaction out of her regarding a female, she would become defensive and angry. I just didn't understand it. Fuck, I didn't understand much of anything these days.

I just wish I could explain the way I was feeling inside. I think it was starting to take a toll on me. I thought I was dreaming when I woke up and she was smiling down on me. I needed some answers and I was fully expecting to get some when we played Truth or Dare tonight, but I suspected that Bella would put a stop to that before it even started. Oh, well it couldn't hurt to try. This was going to be good… so good!

**BPOV**

We plopped down on Rose's oversized fluffy bed. She threw a pillow at me.

"Progress report, bitch!" She laughed.

"There has been no progress to report, bitch." I threw the pillow back at her.

"Oh, I beg to differ, Rose. And since Bella here doesn't want to share the goods. I think I'll fill you in." Alice interjected. Leave it to her to go volunteering information. She told Rose about how she walked in on Edward watching me sleep and how I was cuddled into his chest and it looked like I was smiling. Rose stared wide-eyed, taking it all in. When Alice finished she turned to me.

"We are making progress. I suspect that Edward is confused at this point. He might be having feelings for you but he's either scared to admit it, or he isn't ready to give up on all of those whores he is dealing with. You should be happy, Bella. You haven't even really done much, but say what's on your mind and now you have his brain working! Congratulations!" Rose patted me on my back.

Why did I feel like I wasn't making as much progress as the two of them thought I was? Was I starting to become as confused as Edward may or may not have been? Sometimes I think it would be better if I just let it all out into the open and just pray that when I took the leap off of this huge mountain, Edward would be there to catch me. Who was I kidding? I couldn't risk it right now. I just couldn't, as much as I thought that it might be the easiest thing to do. We would have to wait to see what would happen.

We ended up talking all afternoon about boys, painting each other's nails and picking out outfits for the school week. We had this chart where we would map out what we were going to wear and then there were sub categories for things like shoes, purses, jewelry, makeup and perfume. It was all Alice's idea in the beginning, but I secretly loved our once a week meetings. It helped us not wear the same thing as anyone else. If there was one thing that we loved to be known for, it was being unique and that was the main thing people at school noticed about us. We were able to be sexy but classy. Not a lot of girls were able to do that, but it didn't stop them from trying. They just failed miserably. Before we knew it, it was 7 pm. My phone vibrated. It was a text from Edward.

*************

_Bells,_

_Grab Alice and Rose and head to the house. We are on our way there now. I'll order pizza. Be ready to play! ;)_

_Edward_

*************

"Okay, girls, it looks like our little girl time is being broken up. Edward and the guys are headed back to the house and they want us to meet them there. Rose, I think you should stay the night with everyone at Alice's house so pack a bag. I think this game has huge potential to get out of hand, but I have some rules that will be announced before we play. Edward is way too excited about playing truth or dare, so I want to try and keep him in check." I stood up to grab my jacket.

"Oh, I bet he is excited. Bella, I think he has some sneaky type shit planned." Rose said as she grabbed her coat and packed a light overnight bag.

"Oh, I'll get that under control. Just you wait and see! He's not the only one I'm worried about though." I said as I looked at Alice, while she had her back turned.

"You have every reason in the world to be scared out of your mind. Those two together are dangerous! Don't worry, sweets, I got your back!" she winked as we headed out the door and hit the road towards Alice's house. What was I about to get myself into?

We turned into the driveway and noticed that Edward's car wasn't there, so we got out, went inside and moved the furniture around in the living room to make room for us to sit in a circle. After we were done, we laid down on the pillows on the floor to talk strategy. Alice had come up with a great plan and we were now all laughing so hysterically that we didn't hear the guys come in.

"Where are our babies?" I heard Emmett yell. Naturally Rose jumped up and ran into his arms, because it had been a whole 24 hours since she saw him. I was going to have to make sure to sleep in the basement tonight, because Jasper and Emmett were staying over and I wanted to be nowhere near the moans, groans and the yelling out of "ride it cowgirl… yeehaw"! I learned my lesson the last time we all spent the night over here as a group. It was very uncomfortable for me and Edward. We had to lock ourselves in the basement and turn the radio as loud as it would go, because between Alice and Jasper's cowboy/cowgirl role playing and Rose and Emmett sounding like they were bringing the house down, we literally thought we were going to be sick!

Alice went to help Jasper and Edward with the pizza and beer in the kitchen. A few minutes later, we were all sitting in a circle eating our pizza and drinking our beer. We finished up and I thought it wise that I now set the ground rules.

"Okay, guys, listen up. If I'm going to play this game, then there needs to be rules." I looked specifically at Edward and he gave a smirk.

"Number 1, as far as "truths" are concerned, there is no asking about things that I told you I wasn't ready to talk about, Edward." I made sure to make eye contact with him.

"Number 2, there will be no girl on girl or boy on boy action, Emmett and Rose" I looked at them.

"Finally number 3, let's have fun!" I finished and took a seat.

"Well, let the games begin!" Edward said rubbing his hands together. He looked just a little too excited.

We decided that Emmett would go first. He picked Rose.

"Baby, Truth or Dare?" he asked.

"Truth," she responded. Emmett's face fell, I had a feeling that he was banking on Rose choosing dare.

"Ok, babe, have you ever fantasized about having sex with a teacher? And which one?" He smiled at her.

"I hope to God you are going to get more creative than this, honey, but since you wanna know. Yes, I have fantasized about having sex with Coach Reed. Do you wanna know the details, honey?" she smiled wickedly at him.

"No, I don't. Just choose another player, Rosie" he pouted.

"Fine. I choose Alice." Rose smiled.

"Bring it on, sweets! I choose dare!" Alice yelled.

"Hmm… good choice, Ali. I dare you to choose one other player. Take this person into a private room and completely disrobe in front of them." Rose decided to take it easy on her and I think she fully expected Alice to choose Jasper, or that's what she wanted everyone else to believe.

"Okay, Bella, this isn't breaking any of your rules, because according to the dare, nothing sexual is to take place. I just have to get undressed. With that being said, I choose ROSE!" she laughed. Rose looked like she was about to spit out her beer.

"You have got to be kidding me, Ali! I tried to take it easy on you and give you an easy dare so that you can get your freak on with Jasper and you decide to get undressed in front of _me_?!?" she yelled. It wasn't like we hadn't all seen each other naked before, we have been to way too many school dances while getting ready together.

"Come on, boo!" Alice winked and giggled as she grabbed Rose and they headed for upstairs.

"I'm going to strangle your little ass" Rose groaned.

We sat there and threw popcorn at each other while poor Emmett looked like he was upset about missing the show upstairs. I threw a handful of popcorn at him.

"Cheer up, you big whiney boy! I would bet anything that Alice is not undressing. They are probably up there trying to devise a plan on how to make one of your lives miserable." I laughed. I knew that this was true because we had talked about it, before they came in. I just couldn't wait to find out what they came up with. They came down five minutes later, with silly little smiles on their faces.

"Okay, Alice, choose someone," I said.

"Okay, I choose Jasper." She announced.

The game went on for an hour with hilarious dares and some pretty deep truths. No one was really picking me and Edward and it kind of made me wonder if they were taking it easy on me, or if they had something bigger planned. I was getting really nervous. It was now Alice's turn.

"I choose Edward," She smiled.

"Alright, dear sister. I choose dare!" he said confidently.

"Oh, this is about to be good! A new rule is going into effect now. You have 30 seconds to complete this dare. That means you can't take your time on this. If you do go over 30 seconds you will have to continue this dare for an additional 5 minutes on top of the time I tell you." She started bouncing up and down. Uh oh… this is not about to end well. I have this incredible feeling of a million butterflies in my stomach. I actually feel like I'm about to vomit.

"I dare you to kiss Bella, with tongue for 2 minutes!" She smiled proudly. I was about to blow a gasket. I'm sure I turned red as a tomato and I was literally shaking because I was so angry. Edward noticed that I looked uncomfortable and thought that he would help me out.

"It's okay, Bells, we don't have to do this if you don't want to. I'll end this game right now." He came over and started rubbing my back. I took a deep breath. I couldn't back out of this. I was going to do it and worry about killing Alice and Rose later.

"No, Edward. We can manage a kiss for 2 minutes. I'll handle Alice and Rose after." I stared daggers at them and they looked really scared. They should be.

"You have 30 seconds, starting now." She set the timer on the table.

Edward stared at me and I stared at him. He looked me in my eye.

"Are you sure about this?" he said and I could feel his breath rush across my lips. I closed my eyes.

"Yes…" I muttered. I heard Alice counting down in the background.

"5…4…3…2…" I held my breath and waited for the moment his lips touched mine.

**A/N: Tell me what you think! Press the review button! Next chapter in a couple days! :)**


	6. Burn Out Brighter

**A/N: Hello again! I want to take a moment to thank every single one of you who have reviewed this story or added it to your favorites/alerts. Thank you for taking this scary ride with me! I promise I won't keep you guys waiting for updates. I'm working hard on these chapters and trying to fit writing in around my job and my new boyfriend :) So far, so good! Thank you all again for reading! I had soooo much fun writing this chapter, and I hope that you guys enjoy reading it! :)**

**To TwiDi- I could never thank you enough for all that you do! I'm getting more and more confident in my ability to write this story, and I think that it has a lot to do with the fact that I have you in my corner! Luv ya BB! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's characters, although Edward pretty much owns me! ;)**

**Chapter 6- Burn Out Brighter**

**All I know spins out of control.  
Wonder what's next for heart and soul.  
Nothing I have can save me now.  
Here in what maybe my final hour.**

**It's my time, cannot survive.  
I made mistakes in the past.  
Need a chance; can't say goodbye.  
Wish I could set things right tonight.**

**Live; I wanna live inspired.  
Die; I wanna die for something higher than myself.  
Live and die for anyone else.  
The more I live I see, this life's not about me.**

**(Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights)-Anberlin)**

**BPOV**

"5, 4, 3, 2…" I had my eyes closed and waited for the moment his lips touched mine. I could feel his breath rushing across my lips and then it happened. The moment of impact sent chills and electric shocks down my spine. I let him lead, because if I was the one to lead, I knew for sure that it would have gotten out of control… _fast_. The kiss was slow and hesitant starting out, but I noticed that in my mind everyone in the room disappeared. All I felt… All I tasted… All I saw… was Edward. His hands were cupping my face and stroking my cheeks. I felt his tongue swipe across my lower lip, asking for entrance. I immediately granted his request. He tasted like peppermint, honey and all things sweet and cool at the same time.

I was hot, cold and turned the fuck on. I tried to discreetly squeeze my thighs together just to get some kind of friction in the area I needed it most. I noticed that Edward's breathing had picked up and he now had one hand on my lower back pulling me towards him and his other hand was still stroking my cheek. Oh my, was he feeling what I was feeling? _Could it be possible?_

I reached up and tangled my hands in his hair and I tried to pour everything I have been feeling into that kiss. I registered a faint voice in the background, but I couldn't be bothered to acknowledge it… this was way too good. Then, as quickly as it started, it was over. I blinked a couple times and when the world stopped spinning, I noticed Edward was staring at me and he looked confused and I noticed that he was still breathing really fast. I'm sure my heart beat and breathing matched his. Then he spoke.

"Jesus Christ, Bella." He breathed out.

"I know." Was all I could manage to say at that moment in time; I took this time to look around and noticed that everyone was silently staring at us. Rose's mouth was open, but no sound was coming out and Alice had a huge smile on her face. Emmett was the first one to speak.

"Holy hell! That was hot as fuck!" he yelled.

"Hell yeah, it was!" agreed Jasper.

As they all chimed in with their two cents about how hot that kiss was and how it was pushing five minutes before we came up for air. I felt my face and entire body becoming redder by the second. I felt really warm and I'll admit it, I was horny as hell. I chanced a look over in Edward's direction and noticed that as everyone was talking he was staring at me. There was no clear emotion on his face. He was just blinking really slow and licking his lips. I had to get out of here and fast. I hated feeling like I was always running away, but this… everything was all happening to fast and I suddenly felt like he didn't feel the way I felt about that kiss. He didn't get the message that I was trying to convey to him. I felt tears threatening to overflow.

"Excuse me for a second..." I jumped up and ran for the stairs, ignoring the calls of Rose and Alice.

**EPOV**

I didn't know what to think, or how to feel about Alice's dare. I knew that I wasn't going to back out of it, but I also knew that if any part of Bella was uncomfortable with it, it wasn't going to happen. I told her that I would end this game and I meant that. She looked like she was on the verge of launching into a homicidal rage and her targets were Rose and Alice. I made sure to ask her twice if she was okay with this. Hell, I should have been asking myself if I was okay with this. My feelings were already all over the map, so was this even a smart thing to do? I didn't know what to expect, because out of all the years that we have been friends, we have never kissed. Never even came close. I didn't know what the hell was going to happen after this kiss. Was this going to change things between us? Were we going to be able to find out way back from any awkwardness that was about to ensue? I knew that I had to be the one to start, because Bella wasn't going to initiate this.

I was a little cautious at first, but when my lips touched hers, I felt a spark ignite throughout my entire body. It literally shocked the hell out of me. I didn't know if I should have pulled away in that moment. I was confused as fuck, but I couldn't tear myself away from the sweet taste of her strawberry lip gloss. I knew that lately I have been unsure about what I want out of life, but I was damn sure at this time that I wanted… no… I _needed_ more of Bella. I gently ran my tongue across her bottom lip, hoping and praying that she would open up and let me in. She immediately parted her lips and granted me the permission that I needed to fully explore these foreign feelings that were rippling through my entire being. I didn't know when it happened but one of my hands ended up on her lower back gently coaxing her body closer to mine. I didn't know which way was up or down. I was lost and not quite sure if I ever wanted to be found.

Here I was kissing my best friend. The only person other than my parents and Alice who knew everything about me and I had never felt more connected to her than I did right now. She started tugging at my hair and I damn near unraveled. My body was reacting in ways that it had never reacted before. All too soon I heard Alice and I tore myself away from Bella's lips.

Everybody started talking at once, or at least that's what it sounded like to me. I was going through an internal battle. I wanted to laugh, I wanted to cry. I couldn't stop staring at Bella, because something in that kiss was different, something about that kiss felt right, but I felt guilty for feeling like this. I didn't want this to taint our friendship; I didn't want this to change anything. I had a feeling that it was going to change everything and it scared me. I needed to find out where Bella's head was at. I needed to know what… _that_ was. I noticed that she was staring at me, as I was staring at her trying to process my thoughts. I was getting ready to speak when she jumped up and ran off. Shit! This is what I was afraid of. I needed to talk to her.

**BPOV**

I ran to the guest room and slammed the door. In this moment I was angry, sad and confused. But the dominate emotion was anger. I was pacing the floor and pretty damn sure that if I moved any faster I would light a fire to this carpet. I heard a quiet knock at the door.

"WHAT?!?" I screamed.

"Bella, it's me and Rose. Can we please come in?" Alice said quietly.

I swung the door opened. I moved aside so they could enter. They walked in and closed the door. I had my back facing them, because I couldn't look at them right now. I just couldn't. I was hurt and in my mind it was all their fault. I could tell by the look on Edward's face that he didn't want that. That was not a kiss that was going to get him to profess his love to me and that hurt like hell.

"Bella, please turn around." I heard Alice, but I couldn't move.

"Turn the fuck around, Bella. I'm not going to stand up here and kiss your ass. You are a big girl, now start acting like one! What the fuck is wrong with you? When the going gets tough, you _run_. All the damn time, Bella! It's like a signature thing for you and you need to understand that you are going to get NO where with that damn mentality. Suck this shit up!" Rose spat and I lost it. She was not about to make me feel like a complete fucking coward, even if that is what I was acting like. This was not my fault.

"Don't you dare try to flip this shit around on me, Rose! What the fuck were you two thinking? Did you think this shit would be funny? What in the hell were you hoping to accomplish? You two just made me look like a fucking fool! What happened to letting me do this on my own?!? If I had known that you guys were going to pull a damn stunt like this, I would NEVER have told you. How could you do this to me? You, guys, can't make him feel what he doesn't want to feel!" I had angry tears spilling from my eyes.

Alice came over and hugged me as I collapsed on the bed. Emotionally I'd had enough for tonight. I just really wanted to be left alone with my thoughts and feelings.

"Bella, we weren't trying to hurt you. I admit that we thought that just maybe this would push you and Edward together, but we did not have any malicious intentions." Alice said as she rubbed my back.

Rose walked over and sat on the other side of me and grabbed my hand.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Bells. I just want for you to be happy and I know that in your heart you feel like Edward can do that for you and I believe that too. You don't know how Edward felt about that kiss. You didn't stick around long enough to find out and I understand why you ran up here, but you have to think about Edward too. He is down there torn up in knots, because he thinks that he might have just lost your friendship. You can't read his mind, Bells. And he can't read _yours_. You guys just need to talk about what you feel and then take it from there. I know that you feel like you can't be honest with him right now, but things have a way of working out honey. You just have to have a little faith." She gave me a kiss on the cheek.

Alice and Rose stayed upstairs with me for about an hour and I started to drift off to sleep. Edward hadn't come upstairs yet and I was really worried about him. I didn't want him to feel like he messed our friendship up. I could never stop being friends with Edward, no matter how this turned out. I heard everyone coming upstairs and getting ready for bed and decided that now was the time to make my move. I would find go find Edward so that I could put his mind at ease and hopefully ease mine as well.

**EPOV**

I tried to run upstairs after Bella, but Rose and Alice said that they would handle it. I was shell-shocked and my stomach was literally in knots. I felt like I was about to throw up.

"Hey, man. Are you alright?" Jasper had his hand on my shoulder. How was I supposed to answer that? No, I was not alright. I was worried about my friendship with Bella. I was confused as hell about what the fuck transpired tonight and to top it off, I felt like I didn't have anyone to talk to about it. I decided that while Emmett and Rose were in the kitchen that it was a fine time for me to kind of get Jasper's opinion on what has been on my mind and what I've been feeling.

"Jazz, can we talk outside for a minute?" I looked at him.

"Sure thing, bro." he got off the floor and we walked towards the door.

As soon as we were outside, I didn't know where to begin. I was at a complete loss for words, but Jasper was always good at tuning into my emotions and getting me to open up about my feelings.

"Is this about, Bella?" he asked.

"Yeah, man, I'm just so utterly confused about everything and it's not just about tonight. What I am about to tell you, is not to be shared with anyone and that includes _Alice_." I looked at him to let him know that I was dead serious.

"You got it. I wouldn't tell anyone about what you say to me in confidence. You know that, E." and as he said it, I knew that I could count on him to keep my feelings between us and offer me some good advice as well.

"Well, Jazz, starting a couple days ago, I have been getting these weird feelings towards Bella. Like at the club, when she was dancing with those guys, I got this overwhelming feeling of jealousy and that has never happened before. You know that I have always cared about how Bella feels, but that concern about her feelings has increased over the last couple days. I passed up the opportunity to fuck a girl, because I knew that Bella was mad at me. I just don't know where these feelings are coming from and they are really starting to mess with my head, man.

"Then to top it all off, after that kiss tonight, I felt something… I know I did, but I'm not sure if I should be feeling what I'm feeling. I just don't know. I feel like I'm pretending that everything is okay and moving forward, but I feel like the moment I turn around to look back, I'm going to see that my world is crumbling down around me. It's scary as hell, man" I said as I we walked up the street.

Jasper was quiet for a while. We just walked and I had a feeling he was trying to let me kind of sort out what I was feeling before he said anything.

"Look, E, I think that everything you are feeling is normal. I think that you are attracted to Bella and that scares you… and it _should_. You guys have been friends forever and a lot of friendships don't survive the transition of moving from friendship to relationships. I can't tell you what or how to feel, but I can tell you that you need to be careful here. I don't even think I have to warn you about being careful with Bella's heart, because I know that, it has always been a top priority for you. But I do want you to take care of your heart as well. You need to find out what you need to be truly happy and if that's Bella, then I'm happy for the both of you."

"I can tell you that sometimes being best friends first is the most solid foundation to build a relationship on. Look at me and your sister. I love Ali with all my heart and I loved her as a friend first. I know that what we have could never be broken by any outside force. You have to ask yourself if moving forward with Bella _is_ what you want. But if you move forward with Bella, you will have to leave some things behind. You need to find out if you are ready to do that. Everything is up to you and Bella. I know that things are going to be okay whether you guys end up together or just stay friends. People like Bella don't come along often enough, she has a lot of love to give and it makes her vulnerable to being hurt. So, be careful because I believe that you hurting her would tear a hole in her heart that might be nearly impossible to repair. Think it through, is all I can offer you right now buddy." He patted me on the back as we headed back towards the house.

I had so much to think about. Jazz gave me some good insight on how I should proceed with Bella. Was trying to become "more" worth the consequences if things didn't work out? Was I prepared to stop fucking with all of these other girls? I knew that I wanted to stop, but 'wanting to' and 'doing it' are two completely different things. And I knew that if I were to try with Bella and I was unable to stop doing what I was doing, I would break her heart and in her short life she has already felt way too much heartache. I was supposed to be a constant for her. Someone she could count on. Someone who wouldn't let her down. Someone who protected her heart and I was going to continue to be those things for her.

Jasper and I got back to the house and he decided to go upstairs with Alice. I looked up the stairs and noticed that the guest bedroom light was off. I figured that Bella would be asleep by now and I didn't want to disturb her. So, I headed to the spare bedroom in the basement to try and get some sleep before I confronted this problem head-on tomorrow.

I was laying face up on the bed looking at the ceiling, completely lost in thought. Suddenly, I felt a shift in the mattress and turned over to see that Bella had climbed into bed with me and she looked like she was ready to talk and I had never been happier to see her.

**BPOV**

I went downstairs to the spare bedroom and noticed that Edward was so deep in thought that he didn't hear me come in. He didn't notice me until I climbed into bed. I knew that we needed to get some things hashed out tonight. I wasn't going to admit my feelings for him right now, but I knew that I had to let him know that we were okay. Our friendship was okay.

"Hey," I gave a small smile.

"Hey," He smiled back.

"Edward, I just wanted to come down here and apologize for running off like that. I never meant to make you feel like that kiss was going to ruin our friendship. _Nothing_ could ruin our friendship. We are, of course, going to have differences and we might not even like each other at times, but I want you to always know that if we can't count on anything else, we can always count on our friendship. No matter where this life takes us, I love you and I always will." I let out a huge breath as I finished.

He looked at me for a moment and then he grabbed me and moved me closer to him and gave me a hug. His whole body relaxed. I had a feeling that I just said the words that he needed so desperately to hear.

"Thank you so much for letting me know that, Bella. I was so scared that I was going to lose you as a friend over this stupid dare. I love you too and you know that you can always count on me." He hugged me closer to him.

"Alright, you big softie! Let's go to sleep!" I ruffled his hair. He laughed and we turned out the light and I fell into a deep much-needed slumber.

The rest of the weekend went by smoothly and without incidents. It was like the kiss never happened between Edward and I. And while I wasn't sure how to feel about that, I knew that I had to keep a brave face, because this was what Edward needed. I had to place his needs above mine, right now. All too soon it was time to go back to school on Monday. I was simply dreading it, but I managed to wake up, shower and I looked over at our dress chart for today and put on a white tank top, my black and white cardigan, some black jeans and my black ballet flats. I decided that I wanted to wear my hair up today, so I put it in a high ponytail and secured it with two black clips. I noticed that I was running way behind schedule and that Alice would be here any moment, so I threw on my black and silver bangles, mascara, pink lipstick and sprayed on my snow bunnies' perfume and headed downstairs.

I barely had time to put my coffee in my travel mug before Alice arrived and started blowing her horn. I grabbed my black and white tote bag, my black scarf and jacket and ran out the door. If this was any indication of how the day was going to go… it was not going to end well.

I hurried and jumped into Alice's car and noticed that she was not wearing what we had all agreed on, but she still looked simply stunning. She was dressed in a black and yellow sundress, yellow ballet flats, her bright yellow coat, yellow bangles and a cute little yellow beret on her head. She looked like pure sunshine. It made me smile just looking at her. We complimented each other on our clothes and sped off towards Forks High. With Alice driving, we managed to get there in record time and she, of course, jumped out of the car to go find Jasper. I decided that I would go hang with Rose and Emmett until it was time to enter the gates of Hell.

Rose was leaning against Emmett as I walked up and she was dressed in black today just as I was. She had on a grey and black shirt, black jeans, black boots and her cute ass black trench coat. I walked over and gave her a hug.

"You ready to get this show on the road?" she laughed.

"Uhh, probably not, but I guess we should get going." I grabbed her hand and we went in search of Alice. As we walked into the building I was immediately stopped in my tracks. At Edward's locker, leaning on Edward and kissing up and down his neck was that awful, vile bitch Angela. I thought about just running away as always, but I decided that, I had, had enough of letting her get to me. Rose on the other hand was apparently not in a good mood today, because before I knew it, she was stalking over to Edward's locker with looks that could kill.

"Look who it is! It's Forks High biggest slut!" Rose smiled at Angela. Angela turned around and glared at Rose.

"Go to fucking Hell, bitch. Don't you see we're busy?" She smiled wickedly at Rose.

"Run along, bitch, before I have to break my foot off in your ass." Rose responded as she stepped in between Angela and Edward. I knew one thing… if Angela knew what was good for her; she would turn and walk away. I thought she was a pretty smart girl, but I guess not. Because before I knew it, she had pushed Rose out of the way. Uh, oh this was about to get ugly… _fast_!

"Rose, why are you always acting like someone is scared of you? I'm not scared of you. Why are you all up in me and Edward's business, anyway? You have a man... or are you fucking Edward too?" she smiled.

"Excuse me? You wanna say that again, Angela?" Rose responded calmly… she was too calm.

"I said, Are you fucking…" she didn't get to finish because the next thing I saw was blood splatter across Edward's locker…

Welcome to the start of another fucked up day at Forks High…

**A/N: Did you like it/love it/hate it? Press review and let me know! The clothing for this chapter can be found on my profile! I am anticipating the next update to be on Friday or Saturday! While you guys are waiting for an update, come have fun with me on twitter! Sierra812 I hope to see you there! :)**


	7. Defying Gravity

**A/N: Hello again! As always, I want to give thanks to the people who are taking the time out of their day to read this lil story of mine. It means the world to me and I love you all! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy reading! :)**

**To my wonderfully beautiful beta TwiDi- As always, you amaze me with you're speedy beta work! Thank you so, sooo much for being the wonderful beta that you are! Love ya, BB! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, or its characters. I don't own anything, but my house and car! :)**

**Chapter 7-Defying Gravity**

**Something has changed within me  
Something is not the same  
I'm through with playing by the rules  
Of someone else's game  
Too late for second-guessing  
Too late to go back to sleep  
It's time to trust my instincts  
Close my eyes: and leap!**

**It's time to try  
Defying gravity  
I think I'll try  
Defying gravity  
And you can't pull me down!**

**(Defying Gravity- Kristin Chenoweth & Idina Menzel)**

**BPOV**

Everything happened in a blur. I didn't have the time to react to anything. Rose had punched Angela in the nose and blood was now splattered on Edward's locker. She then grabbed Angela's hair and proceeded to punch, kick and claw at her, while Angela screamed out in agony. I don't even know if Angela tried to fight back, but if she was trying… she was failing miserably. It was clear that Rose had transformed into an unrecognizable beast. I had only seen Rose get physical three times. It took a lot to get Rose to physically attack you, but when she did, it seemed like she blacked out and she was like a mad woman. There was no stopping her, when she got like this. It almost always took the strength of Emmett to get her off of whomever she was fighting. She wouldn't know what kind of damage she did until we'd remind her in the morning or later that day. Edward was trying to pull her off, but Rose was not letting go.

"Emmett, man, get the fuck over here and help me get Rose off of her!" Edward screamed down the hall at Emmett.

Emmett ran over and removed Rose as she was kicking and screaming.

"Say something else, Angela! I told your bitch ass last year, that if you kept pushing my buttons, I was going to lay into you! So, don't be scared of me, bitch! You don't have to be, but just know that the next time you talk crazy to me, I'll put my foot so far down your throat you'll be shitting toes for a year!" Rose yelled as Mr. Phillips was dragging her towards the principal's office. I had a feeling that we would not be seeing Rose for the rest of the week. I looked down and saw that Angela was still on the ground curled up in a little ball and she was crying.

"Look at what she did to my face! I didn't even do anything to her! Edward, help!" she cried. I couldn't feel pity for her. Actually, I wanted to pick up where Rose has left off, but instead I crouched down beside her and got as close as I could without throwing up.

"Wipe your face, bitch, you're bleeding" I laughed, got up and Alice and I proceeded to choir practice. I noticed that Edward was giving me a look like he disapproved of what I just did, but in that moment I really didn't give a shit about what he thought. I thought she got exactly what she deserved.

Choir practice was amazing, as always. Nothing brought Alice and I more joy than singing. It was the one thing that I was certain that I was good at and it made it so much better that I was able to share my talent with Alice. She also had a beautiful voice, she was someone you always wondered about how they were able to produce such a powerful voice out of their little body. The bell rang and Alice and I were on our way to Advanced Lit.

"So, what song are you going to sing as your solo for the test next week?" Alice asked as she chewed on the end of her pen.

"I don't know yet. We should get together at my house later and go over ideas." I said.

"Good idea! I'll text Rose later so that she can meet us there. I want to know what was on her mind when she went into psycho mode." Alice clapped as we walked into class.

**EPOV**

_Unbelievable_. That is what this morning was, simply unbelievable. I couldn't believe that Rose attacked Angela like that. I felt bad for Angela, because although she provoked Rose, I don't think she deserved the severe ass-kicking she just received. Then to top it all off, the way Bella acted towards Angela afterwards was something that I would have never have seen her do three months ago. She was cruel and that wasn't her. She seemed more on edge this morning than usual. I thought that we had talked it out last night, but apparently something was still bothering her. To tell the truth, I was getting tired of feeling like I was walking around on egg shells when it came to the women who were supposed to be my best friends. If I was doing something wrong, then I feel like they need to open their mouths and say it. I'm not a damn mind reader! I was walking into the Gym to work out before study hall. I walked into the Gym and noticed that Jessica Stanley was running on the treadmill. She turned around noticed me and smiled. She finished up and headed over in my direction. Jessica and I had some history, meaning we have fucked before, but I hadn't talked to her in a couple months.

"Hey, Edward! Long time, no see!" she placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I've just been really busy lately. How have you been?" I tried to make small talk with her.

"Oh, I've been doing pretty good, nothing much going on, though." She twirled a piece of her hair.

"Oh. Well listen, you wanna hang out tonight, or something?" I smiled at her.

"Sure thing!" she touched my upper thigh and practically danced out of the Gym.

I shook my head and just sat on the weight bench. I wasn't even in the mood to work out. I didn't know what I was in the mood for. I just knew that I was so damn tired of thinking so much. It was literally exhausting. I was going to hang out with Jessica and I was going to have a good time and that's just how it was going to be.

Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and as I looked over I could have sworn I saw Bella's backpack and ponytail retreating pass the doorway. Shit, was I now seeing Bella when she wasn't there? This made it official that I needed to go out and have some fun.

**BPOV**

Alice and I walked into Advanced Lit and I was actually really into this lecture. We were in a huge discussion about Romanticism in Art. We were studying a beautiful painting called "The Parasol" by one of my favorite artist Francisco de Goya. I loved it when we were able to discuss things that I was really interested in. I was able to give my interpretation of the painting and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could take my mind off the bullshit and continue being who I used to be. The straight 'A' student who had this whole bright scary but welcoming World in front of her. That was who I needed to be right now; otherwise, I was going to drive myself crazy. I knew I wasn't in that mindset yet, but I was going to try my hardest to get there.

About half way through class, I asked to be excused to the restroom. I took the restroom pass and proceeded down the hall. I was just about to pass the Gym when I heard voices from inside. I recognized one as Edward's and it didn't take me long to gather that the second voice was that of Jessica Stanley. I knew that Edward had history with her and I truly had nothing against Jessica. She wasn't vile and hurtful like Angela. Of course she was able to get what I so desperately wanted from Edward, but I couldn't hold that against her. I spent way too much time being angry with other people when perhaps the person I should be angry with is myself. I heard them set up plans for the night and I ducked around the corner until I saw Jessica walk by towards the girl's showers. I had already spent too much time away from class, so I hurried by the door, went to the restroom and back to class.

The rest of Advanced Lit was as equally amazing as the first half and Alice and I couldn't stop talking about it. We made plans to meet at lunch and she hurried off to her Art class, as I headed towards PE. I really wasn't feeling like jeopardizing everyone's life today, but it was a necessary evil. I was just about to enter the locker room when someone grabbed my arm, I spun around and there was Edward.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"I have PE, right now. Do you wanna talk at lunch?" I said as I reached for the locker room door.

"You can skip PE; we all know you're no good at it." He smirked.

"Yeah, yeah whatever, asshole. Let's go talk." I grabbed his hand and we made our way to the place where we usually talked, the auditorium. We climbed the steps to the upper level and sat on the floor in the aisle just in case any teachers happened to walk in. I turned to him.

"What's up?" I looked him straight in the eyes and I noticed that his body tensed up and he began to run his fingers through his hair.

"It's about this morning, Bella. Actually it's about more than this morning. Lately, you've been acting like someone else and I don't understand it. What you did this morning was cruel. You would never talk to anyone like that. I want to know what's going on with you and while you're at it, can you tell me what the hell is going on with Rose and Alice?" his voice had started to take on an accusatory tone and I didn't like it.

"You know what, Edward? You're right. I haven't been acting like myself for a long time. The girl you've known for years was a girl who kept everything on the inside. I'm not willing to do that anymore. You know I don't like Angela and before I would just tolerate her on the outside while she made my blood boil on the inside. I don't care what you thought about how I acted this morning, because no one seems to give a fuck about how I'm feeling and what might have caused me to act like this. To me, the answer is obvious and a couple people noticed it and I didn't have to say anything, so I'm not doing a good job at hiding how I feel! Tell me, you don't know what it is, Edward. Look me in my eyes and tell me that you don't know what's wrong with me! If you can do that, I promise you that the "old" me that you are so desperately looking for, will come back!" I continued to look him in his eyes and tried to make him see it… all of it.

**EPOV**

I looked into her eyes and I really tried to make myself see what was bothering her, but I couldn't. Why wouldn't she just tell me?!? It was so frustrating, I knew Bella better than I knew any other girl and it frustrated me that other people could see so clearly what I could not.

"Bella, why can't you just tell me?" I grabbed her hands and felt a familiar tingling sensation. She looked up at me and she had tears in her eyes.

"I shouldn't have to tell you. I want you to see it on your own and I feel like you will one day. This doesn't change anything between us, Edward. In fact, I believe that things are going to get better." She still had tears sparkling in her eyes, but she was smiling.

"Bella, it looks like you are about to cry and this is going to bother me. I don't want you to be hurt and I don't want you to feel like I don't care or that I don't know you well enough. I'm your best friend and I should know what's going on with you and it just hurts that I don't know what it is." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Edward, please don't let this bother you. Everything is going to be okay. You are my best friend and no one knows me like you do. I'm not going to hold it against you that you can't put your finger on this one thing. I know that deep down; you know what's going on. You'll see it one day. I promise." She leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

The lunch bell rang, so we decided to head down to the cafeteria. We walked out of the auditorium holding hands and I had a sense that everything really was going to be alright.

**BPOV**

It broke my heart that Edward couldn't see all that I felt for him, but I was okay with that. I knew that deep down he had feelings for me too, he was just confused. I had to be patient, but I wasn't going to wait on Edward forever. I was going to be more social, go on dates and get to know what other people had to offer me. I meant what I said when I told Edward that everything was going to be okay. We would still be the old "Bella and Edward" and I would just have to wait to see what happens.

We walked into the lunch room together and then he went to go talk to his wrestling team buddies, while I went to the lunch line to grab my food before going to meet Alice. I was waiting in line when Eric walked over to me. I had met Eric, earlier this year in my AP Chemistry class. He was always nice to me and he made me laugh. We talked all the time during class, but I hardly saw him outside of the class room, so I was a little surprised when he walked up to me.

"Hey, Bella." He smiled.

"What's up, Eric?" I smiled back at him.

"Nothing much, I was just coming over to see if you wanted to go to the movies Thursday night, since we don't have school on Friday?" he looked really nervous and I thought it was cute. I knew that I had plans with Collin on Saturday, so going out with Eric on Thursday wouldn't be a problem. Like I said, it was time for me to get out there to see what other guys had to offer. I would get nowhere if I kept my guard up all of the time. Hell, I was even thinking about letting Mike Newton take me out. There was no harm in getting to know him a little better.

"Of course, I'll go to the movies with you on Thursday, Eric. Pick me up at 7?" I smiled.

"Great, I'll see you then." He looked relieved.

I walked over to Alice at our usual table and she was whispering something in Jasper's ear. I cleared my throat and they both looked up and blushed.

"Oh, God, what were you two talking about? It looks like you both got caught with your hand in the cookie jar!" I laughed.

"Never mind. I don't think I want to know!" I scrunched up my nose.

"You're right about that, Miss Bella!" Jasper winked at me.

"Ewww!" I threw a piece of carrot at him.

"So, Bella, I saw you over there talking to Eric. What was that about?" Alice nudged my shoulder.

"It was nothing really. We're going to the movies on Thursday night." I smiled.

"Good! It's about time you put your feet in the sea full of boys out here. You need to get your feet wet!" she giggled.

"Thank you, Alice." I couldn't hide the sarcasm in my voice, "Anyway, Alice, are you still coming over tonight with Rose, because I really need to talk to you guys about something that happened today?" Jasper looked up from his food.

"Are you keeping secrets from me, Bella?" he pretended to be hurt, "Whatever, Jazz! I know that you, Edward and Emmett keep secrets all the time, so don't even try it, you crazy cowboy!" I reached over and stole a fry off of his tray.

"Yeah, Bells, I texted Rose and she said she would meet us at your house around 3:30." Alice said.

"Okay, good. I need a "girl hour" or maybe two!" I joked.

Lunch ended and we all went our separate ways. Before I knew it, it was time to go to the last class of the day. Biology with Edward. I walked in and took a seat at our normal table, he walked in and dropped something in front of me and I couldn't help but smile. He brought me three of my favorite things. Gummy bears, a cookies & cream Hershey bar and Mountain Dew.

"Aw, thanks buddy. You don't know how badly I needed this!" I smiled at him.

"No problem, you know I always bring you goodies!" he waggled his eyebrows at me. Looks like playful Edward was back and I was glad.

"Yeah, you do and if you keep it up, I'm going to be big as a house!" I said as I tore open the bag of gummy bears. "You want some?" I offered him the bag and he took a handful.

"Hey! That's half my bag!" I shouted as he shoved them in his mouth.

"You want them back now?" he opened up his mouth and leaned over to me.

"Ugh, Edward. Stop!" I laughed, "What am I going to do with you?" I asked.

"Whatever you want, Bells. By the way, what are you doing on Thursday night?" he asked. I blushed. I didn't necessarily want to tell him that I had a date, but I knew that it was unavoidable.

"I'm going to the movies." I said and looked down at the text book.

"With who? Rose and Alice? Are you guys having _another_ girls' night out?" he teased me. I kept my concentration on my book, while I answered.

"No, I'm going with Eric." I said softly. I looked at him for a moment, but couldn't register the emotion on his face and then his lips quirked up slightly.

"A date, huh? Well, have fun. I guess I'll have to steal you away another time." He said as he stole some more of my gummy bears.

Class went by smoothly and I was thankful to hear the bell ring. I really just wanted to get home and talk things out with Rose and Ali. Edward carried my book bag out to Alice's car and said that he would catch us later, because he had wrestling practice. I jumped in Ali's car and we sped towards my house. I knew that we would have plenty of privacy, because lately my dad has been working really late. I knew that one of these days I was going to have to take him out to dinner or something, because I really did miss him. It felt like I hadn't seen him in two weeks. We arrived at my house and I noticed that as we were pulling up, so was Rose. I greeted her with a hug and we all walked inside. I put on a pot of coffee and we all sat around my kitchen table.

Alice got the ball rolling.

"Well, before we get to Bella's deep rooted problems, I wanted to talk to you first, Rose. Tell me everything about this morning." She bounced in her seat in anticipation.

"I can't stand the bitch. You remember how last year, she was always trying to be around Emmett. I told her then that she was tap dancing on my last fucking nerve. I guess she didn't believe me. I was already in a lousy mood this morning and her face just set me off. I usually don't remember what happens when I get like that, but I remember everything about beating her ass and it was well worth the five-day suspension!" she said as she sipped her coffee.

"Well, she had it coming. She thinks that she can talk crazy to everybody and no one's going to do anything to her. I guess she now knows that you aren't the one to play games with." I said.

"Okay, Bells, it's your turn. What's going on with you?" Alice asked.

"Well, I was on my way to PE, when Edward asked me to talk to him. We went to the auditorium and he sat there and basically accused me of being cruel to Angela this morning and that the "old" me would not have done anything like that. I asked him to look me in my eye and try to figure out what's been eating at me recently. He looked in my eyes and he saw… _nothing_. It hurt at first, but I know that right now it's all about patience and he'll see it when it's time for him to. I'm going to go back to being _just_ his best friend and try to suppress these feelings I have for him. I've already agreed to go out on a date with Eric and I just wanted to know what you girls thought about my new found revelation." I paused and waited for their reactions. Rose spoke first.

"I think that, that is a great idea, Bells. I thought that you were making yourself too available to Edward. You can't sit around lonely, waiting for him to figure out where his head is and I'm talking about the one on his shoulders, not the one in his damn pants. So, good for you. I know that you have been incredibly unlucky in love, but any guy would be damn lucky to have you as part of their lives. I know for a fact after watching you with Jacob that you are as good a girlfriend as you are a best friend and it's just sad that these sorry ass fuckers don't realize how truly wonderful you are." She gave a small smile. I loved it when Rose opened up like this and showed her soft side. She really had a lot of wisdom to offer and you could always count on her to be blunt. She didn't look at life through rose glasses. I smiled back at her.

"Yeah, Bells, I love my brother and I love you. You shouldn't have to wait around. He'll figure things out all on his own. He isn't as dumb as he pretends to be." Alice winked at me. I had the best friends in the world. There was nothing that I wouldn't do for the two girls sitting across from me. I've grown so much with them by my side, trusting me to make my own decisions. They let me make mistakes and fall on my ass, but they were always on either side of me, helping me up and tending to my wounds when I did stumble and fall. I was convinced that there was no other girl's like them.

"Thank you, girls, for everything. I know that I can always come to you for advice." I got up and hugged both of them.

We talked for a little while longer, before it was time for them to go home. I walked them off with promises of getting together again after school tomorrow. I walked back in and closed the door. Sometimes, I hated being alone in this house. It was way too quiet. I decided that I would cook some dinner, so that my dad would have something to eat when he got home. It took me about two hours to cook and then clean the kitchen. I was wiped out. I decided that I would go upstairs to take a shower and then get a little bit of homework done. I walked up the stairs and into my room to get my pajamas and that's when I saw it. There were two flowers with a note on top.

***********

_B,_

_Chrysanthemum - Cheerfulness; you're a wonderful friend._

_Because I care… and I always will, Bells._

_E_

***********

I smelled the flowers and smiled. Proving to me that he cared, has never been the problem…

**A/N: So? What did ya think? Huh? I will try to get the next chapter up on Monday. I'm spending the weekend with my boyfriend, so it's going to be pretty hard to sneak away and write. Until then....thanks for reading! :)**


	8. Butterfly Kisses

**A/N: Hello again! :) This chapter is going to give more insight into Bella's past and her relationship with her father. There is a little Edward/Alice and Rosalie thrown in as well. I hope you like it! :) Bella's outfit when she went out with her dad can be found on my profile. Enjoy!**

**My beta TwiDi is absolutely effing awesome! I love ya, BB! Thanks for everything! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or it's characters. I'm just playing with them! :)**

**Chapter 8- Butterfly Kisses**

**She's looking like her Mama, a little more every day.  
One part woman, the other part girl  
To perfume and makeup, from ribbons and curls.  
Trying her wings out in a great big world, but I remember...**

**Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer  
Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair.  
You know how much I love you Daddy, but if you don't mind  
I'm only gonna kiss you on the cheek this time.  
With all that I've done wrong, I must of done something right  
To deserve her love every morning and butterfly kisses at night…**

**(Butterfly Kisses-Bob Carlisle)**

**BPOV**

I couldn't stop smiling as I looked at the two beautiful flowers on my pillow. It really was very thoughtful of Edward. He's done sweet things before, but this was by far the sweetest. I shook my head and decided that I would go take a shower before I sat down in front of the computer to do some homework. I showered quickly and sat at my computer desk and logged on. I logged onto AIM and noticed that Edward was online. I decided that now would be a good time to thank him, so I double clicked on his screen name and started typing.

**RingxoMyxoBells:** Thank you so much for the flowers, Edward! They are beautiful! You didn't have to do that, but I appreciate that you did. You're the best friend any female could have and I'm happy that you've chosen me to be your BEST friend!

**SmoothOperatorE:** What are you doing still up? You are welcome for the flowers and I think that it is _I_ who is lucky that you have chosen me as your BEST friend. You mean the world to me, Bella. And sometimes I don't think you recognize that, so I thought I would show you. I'm glad you liked them.

**RingxoMyxoBells:** To answer your question, I am trying to get some homework done, so I don't fail at the only thing I seem to be good at… school! I know that I mean as much to you as you mean to me and that's why the flowers were unnecessary. Now, I have to do something nice for you! Well, Sexy Eddie ;) I'm going to get back to my AP Bio homework (which you should be working on too!). See ya in the morning!

**SmoothOperatorE:** Okay, Bells. Homework it is. Love ya!

**RingxoMyxoBells:** Love you too, E.

I signed off of AIM and started on my homework. I didn't notice that it had gotten so late; and before I knew it, it was 1am. I was so going to pay for this in the morning. On the upside, I had managed to finish my Bio, Chem, Lit and Calculus homework. I climbed under the covers and drifted off into a well-needed sleep.

It felt like I had just closed my eyes when it was time to wake up again. I decided that I would plead with my dad to let me stay home. I would have Alice come and pick up my homework and turn it in for me, since we had most of the same classes. I just felt like I needed some down time. I needed some time to breathe and figure out in what direction I truly wanted my life to go. Staying home would also provide me with the opportunity to stay at home with my dad since it was his day off and I really wanted to talk to him. Unlike some girls and their fathers, I was very close to Charlie. He was more than a father to me and I could talk to him about what was going on with me. I didn't have a mother to talk to, so my dad tried his best to be both and what a wonderful job he has done. I heard a knock at my door.

"Bells?" Charlie called through the door.

"Come in please, Dad." I shouted from underneath my covers. I didn't know he had come in, until I felt the bed shift under his weight.

"What's going on, honey?" He ran his fingers through my hair.

"Dad, Can I stay home with you today? I feel like I haven't seen you in two weeks and I really just want to spend some time with you." I peeked from under the covers.

"What about your homework, Bells?" he asked.

"I'll have Ali come pick it up and turn it in for me." I gave him the look that I knew he couldn't say 'no' to.

"Alright, sweetheart. You can stay home with me today and we can spend some time together. I'm going to go get dressed and I want you to get dressed too and then we can go out for breakfast after Ali picks up your homework." He stood up and walked towards the door.

"Thank you, Dad! You're the best!" I smiled at him.

I quickly grabbed my BlackBerry off the charger and sent Ali a text message.

**********

_A,_

_Can you do me a favor… come pick up my homework and turn it in for me? I'm staying home for some dad/daughter time. I love you! 3_

_B_

**********

The response was almost instantaneous.

**********

_B,_

_Of course, sweets! You need time with your dad! I'll be over in 20, hon. Love you too!_

_A_

**********

Since she wasn't going to be over for twenty minutes that meant that I had time to jump in the shower and at least start getting dressed. I grabbed my towel and headed for the bathroom. I finished my shower in fifteen minutes and started getting dressed. I decided on wearing my blue and black sweater, blue jeans and black ballet flats. My hair was straight today so I threw on a blue beret and as I was finishing, Alice came into my room.

"Look at you! You look really cute, Bells! If I hadn't just talked to Charlie, I would be convinced that you were ditching school to be with some boy!" she took the tube of mascara off of my dresser and instructed me to sit down while she applied it. This was classic Alice. She was coming over to pick up some homework, but she just couldn't help herself when it came to applying makeup. She finished and stood back.

"Beautiful!" she said as she screwed the top back on. She then suddenly looked down at her watch.

"Damn it! I'm going to be late! Where's your homework, B?" she was panicking. I grabbed my homework out of my desk; she took it, kissed me on the cheek and dashed down the stairs. Just then my dad called me.

"You ready to head out, Bells?" he called up the stairs.

"Yeah, Dad. One sec." I grabbed my blue tote bag and my blue framed sunglasses, applied some lip gloss and headed down stairs.

"You look great, Bells." My dad said as he held the door open for me.

"Thanks, Dad. Where are we headed?" I asked as I climbed into his police cruiser.

"I thought we would just head over to Forks Diner and then after, I thought since it was a nice day outside, we could go to the park. Maybe talk?" he looked uneasy, but he knew what I needed… he always did. It helped that he was a boy, so maybe he could help me understand some things.

"That sounds great, Dad! I can't wait!" I smiled at him. I would try to take it easy on him today. I didn't want him to know exactly how confused I was about things.

Ten minutes later we pulled up in front of the diner. Charlie climbed out the car and walked around and opened the car door for me. We went inside and took our usual booth in the back corner of the restaurant. We both ordered coffee to start with.

"So, what's been going on with you, Dad?" I sipped my coffee.

"Nothing much, just been really busy down at the station. I've been trying to make it home earlier, but it seems like the work load isn't going to let up anytime soon. I feel bad for always leaving you alone." He drank his coffee.

"Oh, Dad. I'm never really alone. I have Rose, Emmett, Jasper, Ali and Edward. They keep me plenty busy and plenty entertained. I do miss you though. It's nice to spend a little time with you every now and then." I said as the waitress approached to take our food order. We ordered our food and made small talk until it arrived. I wanted to make sure that there wasn't going to be any interruptions during the discussion I was about to try and have with him. After the food was sat in front of us, I looked across at my Dad. I guess he noticed my expression, because he sat his fork down on his plate.

"What's wrong, Bells?" he asked.

"You can start eating, Dad, but I just wanted to talk to you about… boys." I said as I started to cut up my pancakes.

He lost a little color to his face, "Are you using protection?" he asked. I giggled a little bit.

"Dad, I said, _boys_ not sex. If I was having sex right now then, of course, I would be using protection." I said as I sprinkled some salt on my eggs. My dad knew that I had sex before with Jacob. It pained me to see how my break up with Jacob impacted my dad's relationship with Jacob's dad, Billy. They used to be best friends, but since my horrible relationship with Jacob ended they still talk and go fishing every now and then, but they are not as close as they used to be and I hate it. I didn't think that my dad should have to pay with his friendship, because Jacob was a dick.

"Ok, sweetheart. What is it then?" he asked patiently.

"Well, dad, there is this boy that I like and I've liked him for a while now. But he doesn't notice me like that. I get a feeling that maybe he likes me too, but neither of us has brought the issue up. I'm about to start dating other boys, but it's just still so confusing, because I know in my heart that it is really him that I want." I said as I took a bite of my bacon.

"Do I know this guy?" Charlie asked. I nearly choked on my orange juice.

"No… no, you don't." I lied quickly. I couldn't tell him it was Edward, because then he would start acting all different and weird around him and I just couldn't have that.

"Let me give you some advice, Bells. If this guy has feelings for you like you suspect that he does, then give him some time to sort it all out, but that doesn't mean that you have to wait. You're a young, beautiful girl with a lot to offer. If this boy refuses to recognize that, then it's his loss and some other guy's gain. It's just that simple, Bells. You've been through a lot during your life and I've tried to be there for you since your mother left. I don't want to see you hurt like that ever again." He said.

I couldn't help but to tear up. My mom left us when I was 12 years old. She just picked up and disappeared. I haven't heard from her since. No girl should ever have to grow up without their mom. I spent a lot of time being angry and sad. Wondering why it was that she didn't want me. Why didn't she love me as much as I loved her? Those were questions I asked as I cried into my pillow at night. At this point in my life though, I counted her leaving as a good thing. Obviously there was something that Dad and I weren't giving her to make her happy. I hoped she found whatever it was that she was looking for. I really did. Charlie was great and he continues to be great. He never let me forget my mother, but he also made sure that I knew that I didn't have to tend to my wounds alone. He was hurting too and we tried our best to heal together. I knew that we were going to make it and I knew that I could never do to my children what she did to me. If it hadn't been for my friends and my Dad, I don't think that I would have made it through that point in my life.

We finished up breakfast and decided to head out to the park. We were pulling up when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that it was a text from Edward.

*********

_B, _

_Ali told me you weren't coming to school today. Are you sick? Do you need me to bring you anything?_

_E_

*********

I smiled and leaned over and asked my dad to take a picture with me, so I could send it to Edward, so that he would stop worrying so much. I typed out a quick message and attached the picture.

*********

_E,_

_You're always so worried about me! It's sweet though. I'm fine. I'm with Charlie and we're just having a little daddy/daughter fun today. Check out the pic!_

_B_

*********

We jumped out of the car and I ran for the swings. I'm a big kid at heart and I never wanna lose the part of me that is able to enjoy something so simple like swinging on the swings at the playground. I was getting ready to launch myself in the air when my phone alerted me to a text message from Edward.

*********

_B,_

_You look beautiful. So does Charlie, but don't tell him I said it! Have fun and I'll call you or see you later._

_E_

*********

I laughed out loud and showed Charlie the text and he told me to tell Edward that the next time he saw him, his ass was grass. I let Charlie push me on the swings and as I was at the highest point. I relished in the feeling of the sun beaming down on me.

**EPOV**

I was nervous about climbing up the tree outside Bella's window to put the flowers and note on her pillow. I had climbed this tree many times before, but I was hoping that she wasn't in her room sleeping, because that would ruin the whole surprise. After our talk earlier, only one part of that conversation replayed in my mind "no one seems to give a fuck about how I feel…" I couldn't believe that she felt like that. I cared about what she felt. I _always_ would. But there seemed to be one problem… I didn't know what she has been feeling lately, but that didn't mean that I couldn't show her that whatever it was that she was feeling, I _cared_. I delivered the flowers and my note, climbed back down and went home. I was working on my Bio homework when a conversation window popped up on AIM. It was Bella. She thanked me for the flowers and I couldn't help but smile, because it really didn't take much to make Bella happy. I was glad that she loved the flowers and I was happy to be hearing from her.

She told me earlier yesterday that she was going on a date with Eric and I had to try real hard to hide my disgust, but I don't know what I was so disgusted about. Bella was a beautiful girl. She was bound to be snatched up by some guy someday. I just didn't expect that day to come so soon. It had always been Bella and I when everybody went out. If Bella was to get a boyfriend, that would all change and it would be just me. I know that my thoughts are a little selfish, but I didn't want that to happen. But it doesn't look like I have a choice when it comes to this. I can't tell Bella how to live her life, or whom to date. I decided to go corner Alice and see if I could weasel some information out of her. I knocked on her bedroom door. It took her about two minutes before she opened it.

"What's up, little brother?" she teased as she let me in. Alice and I were twins and she never let me forget that she was born two minutes before I was.

"I just wanted to talk to my little big sister." I ruffled her hair and sat on the couch across her bed.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

"Well, I know that this is probably a lost cause, because I doubt that you are going to tell me, if you even know…" I rambled.

"Just spit it out already!" she threw a stuffed bear at me.

"It's about Bella. Something is going on with her. She tries to pretend that whatever _it_ is isn't bothering her, but I know it is. Can you help me out here, Ali?" I ran my fingers through my hair.

"No, I can't, Edward. I'm not saying that I know what it is and I'm not going to say that I don't know. All I can do is tell you to let Bella tell you in her own way. Don't get mad that she won't open up to you about it. Maybe she doesn't feel comfortable talking to you about it. Just give her some time and give yourself some time too. I think that if you were thinking clearly, you would be able to see what _it_ is." She said as she was polishing her toe nails.

"Why the hell does everyone keep saying, that 'I'll see _it_ for myself' Why can't she just tell me? I don't want to hear that she is uncomfortable with telling me! Bella has never been uncomfortable telling me anything! So, what the fuck could it be that she is so uncomfortable talking to me about, but she obviously has no fucking problem talking about it with other people, so save the bullshit, Alice!" I was beyond mad. I couldn't believe this shit. I knew for a fact that Alice was one of the people who knew; and if Alice knew then so did Rose. What kind of sick, twisted mind game were these girls playing?

"Watch how you talk to me, Edward, or I'll break your fuckin neck! I. Can't. Tell. You. Shit! Which one of those five little words is causing you so much damn confusion? This is not my secret or story to tell. If Bella doesn't want YOU in particular to know, I would think your ass would be bright enough to figure it out, but I guess not. When she is ready to tell you, she will, Edward. I'm tired of telling you the same thing. Give her time to work up the courage!" Alice was now standing up and glaring at me. She really was intimidating when she was mad. I grabbed her up in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Ali. I'm just frustrated." I looked at her and her eyes soften.

"I know you love her, Edward. She loves you too. She just wants you to be sure." She walked me towards her door.

"Sure about what?" I asked.

"Her story to tell, brother!" She tapped me on the nose and closed the door in my face. These girls were going to be the death of me.

I decided to call it a night and as I was lying in bed, my phone alerted me to a new text message. I looked and saw that it was Jazz.

*********

_E,_

_You figure your shit out yet?_

_J_

*********

I chuckled and typed out a quick response.

*********

_J,_

_Even more confused than before, but I'm going to take your irritating girlfriend's advice and give Bella the space and time she needs. This sucks._

_E_

*********

A few minutes later he responded.

*********

_E,_

_I know, man. Everything will fall into place in the end. I think she's as confused as you are… and I'm going to forgive you for calling my sweet girl irritating. See ya tomorrow._

_J_

*********

I typed out a quick reply before I shut my phone off for the night.

*********

_J,_

_See ya tomorrow, jack-ass._

_E_

*********

I woke up in the morning to Alice banging on my door, telling me to get up. I groaned and rolled over. I eventually dragged myself out of the bed. I showered, dressed and got downstairs. I grabbed a banana off the kitchen counter and headed to school. I pulled up as Alice was zooming into the parking lot. She jumped out of her car and started sprinting towards the entrance. I yelled to her.

"Hey! Ali! Where is Bells?" I shouted.

"She's not coming to school today. Gotta go! Talk to you later!" she shouted as she disappeared through the doors.

I immediately pulled out my phone and sent her a couple text messages. She replied back with a picture of her and Charlie with their heads together, sitting in Charlie's police cruiser. She wore the most radiant smile on her face as the sun shined on the side of her face, making her eyes sparkle and her hair shine. She was absolutely gorgeous. Way beyond beautiful. There was that feeling again. _Was it possible?_ Did I want Bella to be with me and only me? Was I incapable of sharing her with anyone else? The thought gave me butterflies in my stomach. _What was I going to do about this?_

**BPOV**

Charlie and I hung out at the park for about two hours, before we went for ice cream and headed home. I helped him get some yard work done around the house and before I knew it, it was time for school to let out. I was putting the last bags of leaves on the curb in front of the house when Alice and Rose pulled up. It was still a pretty nice day outside so we decided to sit on the porch swing. Charlie brought us out some lemonade and we started talking.

"So, did I miss anything exciting in school today, Ali?" I asked as I stirred my lemonade.

"Bitch, you know the excitement has left the building until I got back!" Rose laughed.

"Yeah, she's pretty much right. It was soooo boring without my partners in crime there." Alice pouted.

"I'll be back tomorrow, you big cry baby!" I teased her.

"Oh, Bella. I forgot to tell you. Last night, Edward came into my room asking about you. He wanted me to tell him what was wrong with you. And before you jump down my throat, I refused to tell him anything. But he's becoming more and more frustrated and curious. And we all know how dangerous a frustrated and curious Edward can be. I don't know if you want to start dropping hints or what. I can tell you that he isn't going to stop until he finds out what it is. I even think he has been talking to Jazz about it." Alice said as she drank some of her lemonade.

"Fuck dropping hints, Alice. She should move on and whatever happens; happens. He knows it's there. He is the one who keeps fighting these feelings. Since he wants to fight, let him, but don't you dare stay rooted in one place while he fights a losing battle." Rose chimed in.

"I'm with Rose on this one, Ali. I'm not going to play the 'let's-drop-a-hint' game. I'm going to go out with other people and let Edward come to me, when he's ready to discuss true feelings." I said.

"What if he never figures it out on his own?" Alice whined.

"He won't have to figure it out on his own, Alice. When I'm ready I'll be forthcoming with my feelings. I just don't think it'll do any good right now and I don't want him to feel obligated to like me, because I like him." I said.

"Well, I think you're closer to getting what you want, than you think." Alice whispered.

"Wait. What are you talking about, Ali?" I put my glass on the porch and turned to her.

"Well, he asked where you were this morning and I guess when I told him you weren't coming to school today, he sent you a text message. He apparently _really_ liked what he saw, because I saw him smiling and touching the screen of his phone. I took his BlackBerry at lunch and saw that you had sent him a picture of you and Charlie." Alice said.

"That doesn't mean anything, Ali. Maybe he just liked the picture." I tried to think of anything to explain what she was telling me.

"It's _more_ than that." Rose shocked me when she spoke.

I won't be thrown off track right now. When I think I've gotten one step closer to Edward, he does something to push me two steps back. From now on, I'm only moving forward. I don't care what anyone else feels about that… _do I?_

**A/N: Love it? Like it? Hate it? Let me know!!! :) Click the review button, and I'll give you cyber hugs! :) Next update is set for a tentative date of Thursday! :) Until then, come on over to Twitter and play with me! The screen name is Sierra812**


	9. For Good

**A/N: Welcome back! I want to thank everyone for their lovely reviews. It really makes doing this worthwhile. So, thanks a bunch! I hope you enjoy reading this, as much as I am enjoying writing this! :) Bella's date outfit can be found on my profile, so take a look if you want a visual! Ok, I'm done rambling until the end, so get to reading!**

**My beta TwiDi- Sweets, you're amazing! Thank you so very much for being kind and always lending me your thoughts and opinions! It means the WORLD to me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not owe Twilight. I do not own the song used at the beginning of this chapter. I do however own the outfits that I have posted on my profile. I'm having fun here and no Copyright infringement is intended! :)**

**Chapter 9- For Good**

**I've heard it said  
That people come into our lives for a reason  
Bringing something we must learn  
And we are led  
To those who help us most to grow  
If we let them  
And we help them in return  
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true  
But I know I'm who I am today  
Because I knew you...**

**Like a comet pulled from orbit  
As it passes a sun  
Like a stream that meets a boulder  
Halfway through the wood  
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
But because I knew you  
I have been changed for good**

**(For Good-Idina Menzel)**

**BPOV**

What did Rose mean by "It's _more_ than that?" That question ran through my head all day on Wednesday. And now, on Thursday, as I sit next to Edward in Bio, joking and playing around with Edward. Nothing seemed to have changed about the way we normally were. There were times when I would catch him staring at me more than he usually did, but he would always joke about it and I would brush it off. He's always told me that I was pretty, beautiful or any of those other synonyms for attractive, but as the compliments became more frequent, I brushed it off. I was doing a lot of brushing it off lately. I had been trying to get Rose to tell me what she meant by the statement she threw my way on my porch on Tuesday; and she promised that we would talk about it after I had my dates with Eric and Collin. I didn't know why I had to wait until Sunday to find out and when I asked her about this, she said that she wanted my mind to be in the right place during my dates. I begrudgingly agreed and I've left it alone since then. I was writing down the weekend's homework off the board when a piece of paper slid across the lab table.

"Tonight's the big night, huh, Bells?" My eyebrows knitted together, because I didn't know what he was talking about.

"What are you talking about, Edward?" I returned the sheet of paper to him.

"Your date with Eric. Where are you guys going anyway?"

"Why are you so interested? ;)" I wrote as I smirked to myself, because I really was curious.

"Because if he tries any funny business, I'll have to kick his ass!"

"I don't know where we are going, Edward. I think it's supposed to be a surprise. I'll tell you all about it afterwards… ok, Mr. Overprotective? :)"

"Yeah, Yeah. I will track you down if I don't hear from you sometime tonight. Got it, Ms. Looking-For-Danger-In-All-The-Right-Places? :)"

I chuckled on the inside. It had been a good two years since I had heard that nickname.

"Hardy Har-Har! Eric could hardly be considered to be dangerous, but I will text you when I make it home tonight, if that will ease your mind. Now, copy the assignment off the board. The bell is about to ring."

I slid the paper across the lab table for the final time as I hurried and scribbled the assignment off the board into my day planner. The final bell rang and I started to pack up my messenger bag. I set it on the table and Edward grabbed it, slung it over his shoulder and walked me out to Alice's waiting car. We reached the car and he gave me my bag back.

"Be safe tonight, Bells. Text me when you get back." He looked me dead in the eye.

"Ok, Eddie. I'll text you as soon as I get back." I pinched his cheek.

"Promise me." He said as he opened the passenger car door for me.

"Jeez, Edward. I'm going on a date, not to _war_, but if it means that much to you… I, Isabella Marie Swan, do so solemnly swear and promise Edward Anthony Cullen that I will send him a text message as soon as I get home tonight." I held up my right hand and laughed. He started tickling me.

"Get in the car, smart ass! I'll talk to you later." He said as he shut the car door behind me.

Alice and Rose were coming over to my house, to help me get ready for my date. I was confident in my ability to dress myself, but I was comforted by the fact that the two girls, who were most important in my life, were there to send me off on yet another first date. We decided to go grab a milkshake at Forks Diner before we headed over to my place. When we got home it was 5 pm; and Rose and Alice insisted that I start getting ready. I jumped in the shower and left them to rummage through my closet to find me something suitable to wear. I took my time in the shower, because to be quite honest, I was really nervous about this date. I got out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel and went back into my room. Rose and Alice were in a debate about things that I should wear for the date.

"Calm down, you two, I don't even know where we are going. Let me send him a text to find out exactly how I should dress." I grabbed my phone off the top of my dresser so that I could shoot Eric a quick text message.

******

_Eric,_

_Hey, I was wondering where we were going tonight. I just need to know, what I should wear :) See ya soon._

_Bella_

******

He responded back about 3 minutes later.

******

_Bella,_

_I thought that we would go to this nice French restaurant and then maybe the movies._

_Eric_

******

I let Alice and Rose in on the locations and they decided that I should wear my lavender Alice + Olivia silk-blend twisted halter dress, my lavender peep toe Bergdorf Goodman pumps, lavender rose outlined necklace, a lavender bangle and my cute purple rose ring. I put on my lotion and slipped into my clothes. Alice and Rose would not let me look in the mirror, because they wanted me to see the complete look, when it was all done. They sat me in the chair in front of my vanity mirror, but they faced the chair away from the mirror. Rose started on my hair, as Alice applied the makeup. I couldn't lie… it felt really good to be pampered! It was about 6:30 pm when they put down all their tools, took a step back, looked at each other and gave each other a high five.

"Our work here is done!" Alice spun the chair around and I got my first look. I hardly recognized myself. I looked really good. It screamed subtle and classy and I loved it. Rose had curled my hair and pinned it up, but left some stray strands to fall down in the front and back. Alice had made my skin glow and sparkle at the same time. I smiled at in the mirror and that's when they knew that they were victorious. I decided to go prep my dad for the date because I knew he would want to meet him. I walked down the stairs and saw that Charlie was sitting on the couch having a beer. He looked up as me, Alice and Rose came down the stairs.

"Wow, you two have out done yourselves. Bells, you look magnificent!" he said. As Alice and Rose took a bow. They were a mess!

"Thanks, Dad. They did do a really great job." I sung Alice and Rosalie's praises.

"Why are you all dressed up anyway?" he asked.

"I have a date with a guy from school tonight." I looked down.

"Uh huh… is this the young man you were telling me about the other day?" he said and I noticed Alice and Rose giving me the _'oh my God, did you really tell him'_ look.

"No, Dad, this is someone else." I said.

"Oh, ok. Well, I'd like to meet him before you guys head out for the night." He turned his attention back to the television.

I busied myself by talking to Rose and Ali and at 7:00 pm on the dot, the doorbell rang. I started to get up when Rose pushed me back into my sit.

"No! Let Charlie get it and _then_ you make your entrance." She hissed.

"Okay, Okay Queen of Dating 101" I laughed.

"Bella! Your date is here!" Charlie yelled from the living room.

"Okay, girls, here goes nothing." I stood up and walked into the living room.

"Wow, Bella, you look beautiful!" Eric said.

"Thanks, Eric. This is my dad Chief Swan and you know Alice and Rose." I motioned to them behind me.

"So, where are you planning to take my daughter tonight?" Charlie asked.

"Well, I was planning on taking her to dinner and a movie, but plans changed, so I decided that we're going to go to the Smoke House Restaurant off of Highway 101 and then there is a art gallery opening tonight in Port Angeles that I wanted to take her to." He stated.

I was very impressed. I loved art galleries! I knew that tonight was going to be a good one.

"Okay, sounds good, young man. I expect Bella back no later than 1:00 am, Ok?" he gave his best stern fatherly look.

"Absolutely, sir. Not a minute late." He smiled at Charlie.

"You ready to go, Eric?" I asked.

"Yeah, let's go." He smiled. Just then Rose and Alice stepped forward.

"Take care of our girl, Eric. We want her returned without a scratch. If she does not come back in the condition that we sent her out tonight in, you'll pay." Rose looked at him as she finished and you could tell she wasn't kidding. I rolled my eyes.

"Oo-kay." Eric said, but he looked nervous. Rose had a habit of scary the hell out of my dates. She was worse than my father!

"You guys have fun! Bella, I expect to hear from you when you get home. I'll be up!" Alice smiled.

"Alright, I'll talk to you later." I responded as me and Eric walked out the door.

It was surprisingly warm outside, or maybe I was just really nervous. We walked to his car and he held the passenger door open for me. I had high hopes for tonight and I'm almost positive that Eric is going to make this an unforgettable date.

**EPOV**

As Alice drove Bella off to get her ready for her date, I was upset and I'm not going to deny that fact. I didn't want her to go out with Eric. Hell, I didn't know if I wanted her to go out with anyone, but I couldn't stop her. I was halfway to the point where I wanted to follow them to see where they would go. I was walking out of the school after wrestling practice when I spotted Emmett coming from the locker room; I think he was just finishing up football practice.

"Hey, Em." I walked up to him.

"What's up, E? Why does it look like someone kicked your puppy? Does this have something to do with one of our favorite girl going out on a date tonight?" he raised his eyebrow.

I broke down and told Emmett a couple days ago, about my conflicting feelings towards Bella. And, surprisingly, he has kept the jokes at a minimum. It was hard to tell him, but it was even harder trying to keep it from him. Emmett and Jasper were like the brothers I never had. We didn't keep secrets from each other.

"I'd be telling a colossal lie if I was to say that my mood had nothing to do with Bella going out on this fucking date with this Eric kid. The question I'm trying to answer is why the hell is this even bothering me? Why am I letting this fuck with my head? I can go out and get any girl I want, but I don't _want_ to and that is another thing that has me all sorts of fucked up." I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"I don't know what to tell you, E. No one can figure this out for you. You know what you want. The question is… _how_ are you going to go about getting it? See ya tomorrow, man." He patted me on the back as he hopped in his jeep. This was just great. I wasn't getting any help from anyone.

I got in my car and headed home. I thought about calling Angela or Jessica but I wasn't up to it. I was just going to go home and play my piano and try not to think about what Bella was doing out on her date. But I knew that it would be a pretty hard thing to do, since Bella seems to have taken over my mind. I walked into the house and my mom was in the kitchen cooking dinner. I walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey, mom. It smells good in here." I tried to smile, but I got a sense that she knew something was wrong, by the way her nose crinkled.

"Hey, honey. I'm making your favorite tonight. Lasagna. Your looks say something has gone wrong, sweetheart. What is it?" she put her hand on my shoulder.

"It's nothing, mom. I just have a lot on my mind right now, but I'm not really in the mood to talk about it right now." I said.

"Ok, honey. I understand. Just know that whenever you are ready to talk about it. I'm here for you to talk to. Okay?" she looked really concerned.

"I love you, mom. I promise that when I'm ready to talk, I'll let you know, but don't be too concerned. It's nothing major." I hugged her again and went down to the music room and sat in front of my piano. I placed my hands on the keys and tried to think of something to play. Finally I just let it flow. My fingers chose the song for me and suddenly I was lost in Yiruma's "Maybe" and it fit my mood _perfectly_. I was completely lost in my music and it felt really good. I didn't notice Alice had come downstairs until she sat on the piano bench and put her head on my shoulder. She and Bella were the only ones who did this while I played and I loved it. It made me feel comforted… _connected_. I loved playing for them. They felt the music just as much as I did. I played the last notes and took a deep breath.

"That sounded sad, Edward. Are you okay?" Alice asked. Alice was good at pin pointing my moods.

"I'm okay, Ali. Just a little down, but I feel better now." I pinched her nose.

"Just making sure." She said.

"So, did you see Bella off for her date?" I asked as I stared at the piano keys.

"Yeah and she looked gorgeous! Here I think I have a picture." She started rummaging through the overnight bag that she liked to call a purse.

"It's ok, Ali. I'll take your word for it." I stated. I really was trying hard not to imagine what she wore or what she was doing. I knew that whatever she had on was beautiful. My emotions were too conflicted to even try to actually see a visual of her.

"Your loss! Let's go eat dinner. Mom is waiting, she sent me down here to get you." She jumped up and grabbed my hand and dragged me behind her up the stairs. I was thankful for the distraction. I seriously had the best fucking family in the world.

**BPOV**

We arrived at the Smokehouse Restaurant about 15 minutes after leaving my house. The drive over was quite pleasant. We talked a lot and I found out that we had a lot more in common than I originally thought. I didn't think at first that I would be interested in Eric, he seemed like more of a friend then real dating potential, but I was glad that I gave him a chance. He was really down to Earth; he was funny, smart and really cute. He climbed out of the car and walked around and held the door open for me.

"Thank you, Eric." I said as I grabbed his hand so that he could help me out of the car.

"My pleasure." He smiled as we walked arm in arm into the restaurant.

The dinner and conversation were beyond amazing. We talked about music, family, future aspirations, college prospects and art. It felt so good to interact with a guy that I felt was genuinely interested in me. I didn't have to force it, I didn't feel like I had to play any games, it was just natural and it felt good. We finished up dinner and dessert and headed back outside to the car. It had gotten a little chilly outside so he took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders as we waited hand in hand for the valet to bring the car around. We got into the car and were travelling towards Port Angeles to attend the art gallery opening. My phone vibrated to alert me to a text message. I looked and noticed that it was from Rose.

*****

_B,_

_So far, so good?_

_R_

*****

I sent her a quick reply, because I really didn't want to be rude.

*****

_R,_

_So far, so great! :) Talk to you later!_

_B_

*****

I shut my phone off and stared out the window and admired how beautiful the stars were. It was a nice clear night and it matched my mood. For the first time in a while… my mind felt clear and I liked the feeling. When we got there and I stepped inside and my breath caught in my throat. The art work was simply stunning. I had never seen so many beautiful works of art.

"This is absolutely beautiful!" I exclaimed as I tried to take it all in. Eric grabbed my hand.

"No, you're beautiful. I'm glad you like it." He smiled at me.

"Like it? I freakin' love it!" I laughed as we walked from exhibit to exhibit enjoying the art work and each other.

We spent hours at the gallery, talking to different people about the pieces of art. I was completely having a blast. Before we knew it, it was time to head home. I was sad about leaving, but to tell the truth I was exhausted. We pulled up to my house and he walked me to the door.

"I had a great time tonight, Bella." Eric said.

"Me too. Thanks for everything." I smiled at him.

"I hope we get to do it again soon." He stepped a little closer to me.

"Definitely." I beamed up at him. He leaned in and I could tell that he was going for a kiss. I wasn't going to deny him a little peck on the lips, so I leaned in the rest of the way and planted a tiny peck on his lips. I unlocked the door and walked in, but before I closed the door I turned around and looked at him.

"Thanks again for tonight, you'll never truly know how much I enjoyed myself. Good night, Eric." I said.

"The pleasure was all mine. Good night, Bella." He said as he turned and walked towards his car. I'm pretty sure I had a silly little grin on my face. As I was walking towards the stairs I noticed Charlie was still up.

"Good night, Dad" I kissed him on the cheek.

"You're smiling. So, I guess it went good." He grinned.

"Beyond good, Dad." I said as I walked towards the stairs.

I stepped into my room and was about to gather my things together so that I could go take a shower, but I remembered a promise that I was supposed to fulfill. I grabbed my phone.

*****

_E,_

_I'm home, safe and sound, so you don't have to worry your pretty little head! ;)_

_B_

*****

_B,_

_Thanks for the text. I would ask you how it went, but I don't want to know._

_E_

*****

_E,_

_Well good, because a lady never kisses and tells. ;) Good night._

_B_

*****

_B,_

_Are you going to sleep soon?_

_E_

*****

_E,_

_Probably not, I'm about to take a shower. Why?_

_B_

*****

_B,_

_You'll see._

_E_

*****

I decided that I wouldn't question him. He was so damn cryptic sometimes it was ridiculous. Whatever, there was nothing that was going to knock me off of this cloud I was riding on. I got everything together and headed for the shower. I decided that a long shower was in order, so I spent a good forty-five minutes just standing under the water and enjoying this time away from everything. I hopped out and noticed that I had a new text message. I looked and it was from Alice.

*****

_B,_

_Excuse me, but why is it that I had to hear from EDWARD that you were home?_

_A_

*****

_A,_

_Sorry, sweets. I'll make it up to you. Promise ;)_

_B_

*****

I dried myself off and threw on a tank top and some shorts and headed to my room. Imagine the shock and surprise when there lying across my bed was… Edward.

_What the fuck…_

**EPOV**

When I got the text from Bella that she was home, I was in the process of lying in my bed staring up at the ceiling… completely bored. I couldn't talk to Jasper, because Alice was on the phone with him and I was pretty sure that Rose and Emmett were somewhere doing the nasty since they barely had any parental supervision, so it was just me and my thoughts. I needed to get out of here and I knew just where to go. I hopped in my car and drove over to Bella's. I climbed the tree outside her window and waited on her bed until she got done with her shower. I started to sort of panic, because I didn't know how I was going to explain why I was here, but I knew that when she texted me that line about "a lady never kisses and tell" it made my fucking blood boil. Did he kiss my Bella? Whoa… _my_ Bella? Get a grip, Edward! I was still engaged in an internal battle when the door swung open and there was Bella. I knew I had to say something or do something. Did I have the courage?

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I can't come and see my best friend?" I shot a question back at her.

"Well, of course you can. For what do I owe this unexpected visit?" she smirked.

"You know how I am when I'm bored. I don't like to be alone." I patted the place next to me on the bed. She came over and took her spot next to me.

"You know, you could have called Angela or Jessica or Rebecca or Jennifer or…" I covered her mouth with my hand.

"Cut it out. I wanted to be with you. Now, what is this about kissing and not telling?" I poked her in her side.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She rolled away from me, so that I was now staring at the back of her head.

"Oh yeah, you're in trouble now." We started wrestling on the bed and I decided that I would let her win. She had me pinned down with one of her legs on either side of my waist, she was breathing heavily and I was hypnotized by the rise and fall of her chest and the pink tint that seemed to travel from her cheeks down to her collarbone. Her hair was falling over her face, but I could tell she was smiling. I lifted my hand and tucked her hair behind her ear and I let my hand linger there. It seemed like her face got closer, I could feel her breath ghosting across my face. I wanted to kiss her, I needed to kiss her… and it looked like she wanted the same… It's time to decide… sink or swim? Is this a chance that I'm willing to take?

**A/N: Like it? Love it? Hate it? As always, let me know! Press review and show me some love/hate(whatever you prefer!) I know that you all are aware of what is going on in Haiti and I want to encourage you all to help in anyway that you can. The amazing MsKathy and a group of other amazing authors are offering o/s for a $5 donation towards the aid of Haiti. This is worthwhile cause and I think that we could all accomplish a lot if we lend a helping hand! My name on Twitter is Sierra812, follow me and I'll get you more information on that. Next update I'm hoping will be up and ready for Sunday :)**


	10. Rain

**A/N: Do you see how much I love my readers?!?! I said next update would be Monday, but due to all of the wonderful reviews(which I can't thank you enough for!) I have decided to give you the chapter a whole TWO days early! I love you guys, and keep leaving reviews, because I love to read them. Bella's date outfit with Collin can be found on my profile. I hope you guys enjoy this chappie! :)**

**To my beta TwiDi- You rock! You're ah-mazing! You're simply wonderful. Thank you so much BB! Luv ya, sweets! :)**

**Disclaimer: As always, I DO NOT own Twilight or it's characters! I'm just playing with them! ;)**

**Chapter 10-Rain**

**Can you help me out?  
Can you lend me a hand?  
It's safe to say that  
I'm stuck again**

**Trapped between this life and the light  
I just can't figure out  
How to make it right **

**A thousand times before  
I've wondered if there's something more  
Something more...**

**I feel it's gonna rain like this for days  
So let it rain down and wash everything away  
I hope that tomorrow the sun will shine  
With every tomorrow comes another life**

**I feel it's gonna rain  
For days and days  
I feel it's gonna rain**

**(Rain-Creed)**

**BPOV**

All I know is that we started playing around and wrestling and the next thing I knew I was straddling him and our faces were close… _really_ close. He reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear and he kept his hand on the side of my face. I don't know who leaned in further but I noticed that as I was exhaling, he was inhaling… we were literally sharing the air around us. He was staring at me like he was pleading for me to close the gap between us. _That couldn't be what he was thinking… could it?_ I jumped up off of him and sat straight up on the bed and tried to pick up the pieces of my brain that had metaphorically exploded all over my bedroom. I looked back and noticed that Edward looked like he was trying to do the same thing I was. I decided that I should say something.

"Sooooo… are you going to spend the night?" I asked as I twirled a piece of my hair. He looked up at me and I noticed that his eyes were a darker green than I had ever seen them before.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Bella. I'm going to head out. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He said as he got off the bed.

"Oh, ok. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Thanks for coming over." I walked over to him and gave him a hug.

Edward disappeared out of my bedroom door and I decided that I really needed to try and get some sleep. It wasn't much going on tomorrow which meant that I would get to sleep in. I closed my eyes and hoped for peaceful and non-complicated dreams. I was lucky that night.

I was woken up by the sound of my phone going off. I grumbled and rolled over and grabbed it off of the nightstand next to my bed. It was a text from Collin.

*****

_Bella,_

_Hey, this is Collin. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight rather than Saturday. Let me know. :)_

_Collin_

*****

I looked at the clock and noticed that it was 11:00 am. I decided that today would be better than Saturday and if I planned this just right, I would have time to take Ali and Rose out to lunch before I had to get ready for another date tonight. I sent Collin a text message.

*****

_Collin,_

_Hey, tonight is good. What time can I expect you and what is the dress code?_

_B_

*****

I decided that while I was at it, I should just send Ali and Rose a text, so that they could meet me for lunch.

*****

_A and R,_

_Lunch? Sally's Bistro? 12:30pm? Let me know._

_B_

*****

I had received a text reply from Collin.

*****

_Bella,_

_I'll pick you up around 5 pm, since it's about an hour-drive to the party I want to take you to. See you then. Dress casual._

_Collin_

*****

I closed out of the text message and opened the reply from Alice and Rose.

*****

_B,_

_We'll see ya there!_

_R and A_

*****

I climbed out of the bed and headed for the shower. I took a quick one, because I didn't want to be late for lunch. I decided to wear a black long sleeve shirt, black jeans and my black and white Van sneakers. I decided on no makeup today and threw my hair into a high ponytail. I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. I arrived at the Bistro and noticed that I was the first one there. Since it was warm outside, I decided to sit at our usual outside table. The waitress came over and I ordered lemonades for all of us. Just as the waitress brought the drinks out, Alice and Rose walked up. They each gave me a hug and sat across the table from me. I felt like I was getting ready to conduct an interview.

"So, Ms. Bella, how was the date last night?" Alice asked.

"It was absolutely, positively… _amazing_!" I gushed.

"Well, we want details, bitch" Rose said as she looked over the menu.

"There aren't that many details to tell, but I'll tell you anyway. We went to the Smokehouse Restaurant, then he took me to an art gallery opening and then he dropped me off to home and I kissed him." I said the last part really fast. I was hoping that they hadn't caught it. I turned my attention to the menu.

"Uh-uh, don't divert your attention, you sneaky little girl!" Alice snatched my menu out of my hands.

"What kind of kiss are we talking about, Bella? Tongue? No Tongue?" Rose asked.

"It was just a tiny peck on the lips. Nothing major. He's a sweetheart and I can see us hanging out more often. Oh yeah, I meant to tell you guys that Collin pushed our date up to tonight. He's coming to pick me up at 5 tonight." I said.

"Bella is a player. Two nights. Two dates. Two different guys. You go, girl!" Rose gave me a high five.

"Do you want us to come over and help you get ready?" Alice asked.

"No, we're just going to a party and he said to dress casual, so I think I can manage on my own tonight, but thanks for offering your expertise free of charge." I smiled at her.

"Who said it was free?" she laughed.

We ordered our food and sat and talked. We decided to pack it up and leave around 2:00 pm so that I could go take a quick nap before getting ready for my date. We gave out hugs and I promised to call or text them later with updates about the date. I got in my truck and before I could start it, I heard my cell phone ringing, so I reached in my purse and didn't bother looking at the name on the screen.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Bella… It's Jake."

I immediately hit the end button, as tears sprang to my eyes. What the hell was he doing calling me? I had no desire to hear from him again and I told him that. I was trying to calm myself as my phone rang again.

"Why the fuck are you calling me? I told you to leave me the fuck…" I didn't get to finish because someone on the other end of the phone was interrupting me.

"Bella! Bella, calm down. It's me, Edward." He said into the phone and I let out a sigh of relief. I was so happy to hear his voice.

"Oh God, I'm sorry, Edward!" I breathed out.

"It's okay, but if you don't mind me asking. Who did you think I was?" he asked. I didn't know if I wanted to tell him, but I couldn't lie to the one person who helped me so much during that time in my life.

"Jake just called me." I whispered.

"Are you fucking kidding me? What the fuck does that piece of shit want?!?" Edward screamed into the phone. I knew that was going to happen.

"I don't know, Edward. I didn't hang around on the phone to find out. I hung up as soon as I realized it was him. I'm ok, it's okay. I just wasn't expecting it." I tried to calm him down.

"I'll take your word for it, Bella, but if I catch that fucker sniffing around you, I'll rip his damn head off." He sounded a little calmer.

"I know and I love you so much for it." I said.

"I was calling to see if you wanted to come over and watch a movie tonight." He said. I wasn't about to make this phone conversation more awkward by telling him I had another date with a different guy, so I settled for something simple.

"I have plans tonight, what about tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure thing. Well, coach is making us do a practice even though we don't have school, so I'll talk to you later, Bells."

"Bye, Eddie." I said as I hung up the phone. I shook the nerves off and drove home to my much needed nap.

I slept for about an hour and a half and I woke up feeling a little more than halfway human. It was nothing that a little shower wouldn't fix. I swung my legs off the bed and decided that a shower was definitely in order, but it would have to be a quick one because it was already almost 4:00 pm, so I had an hour to get ready and right now I was really glad that he said to dress casual. I took my shower, looked in my closet and decided to wear an aqua and white plaid shirt, some light blue jeans and some aqua sneakers. I loved to color coordinate and it was a hard habit to break. I decided to let my hair dry naturally so that I could have some kind of natural curl to it. I put on some clear lip gloss and some mascara and was ready to go right at 5:00 pm. I didn't have to introduce Collin to Charlie, because Charlie was going to be at work all night.

I was sitting in the living room at 5:20 pm and Collin still hadn't shown up. I hated, I mean _really_ hated, it when people were late. He finally pulled up at 5:30 pm and he blew his horn. I guess that meant that I was supposed to come outside. I should have probably known that the date wasn't going to go too well, but I decided to push my irritation aside as I climbed into the passenger seat of the car. We drove in silence, until I said something.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

"This friend I know is having a house party up near Clallam Bay, so I thought that we would go check that out." He said without looking at me.

We drove the rest of the way in silence. We stopped by this beat up little diner to grab something to eat. We ate in practically silence. This was not the Collin that I had met in the club. He barely made eye contact with me and I was starting to think that he was being a little rude. We left the diner around 7 pm and headed to his friend's house. When we pulled up it looked like the party had pretty much already started. We walked up the steps and went inside. There were people everywhere. Some were smoking, some were drinking, some were throwing up and some looked like they were about to start having sex right there in the hallway.

"You want something to drink?" he leaned over to ask me.

"Yes, please." I replied. He walked off and said that he would be right back. He brought me my drink and after a little alcohol in my system, I started to loosen up a little bit. Collin said that he was going to take me on a tour of the house and I agreed. He led me upstairs and opened a door for me and told me to go in. I hesitated a bit that's when he pushed me in and closed the door. _What the fuck?_ The next thing I know he had pressed me against the door and was trying to kiss me. I pushed him off.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? I don't even fucking know you!" I spat at him.

"C'mon, Bella, You were so much more fun at the bar." He said.

"You were so much _nicer_ at the bar! I'm done and I'm ready to go home! NOW!" I yelled. He stared at me and his eyes got really cold.

"I'm not taking you home, Bella. If you want to leave, then by all means… get the hell out, but you won't be getting a ride from me." He laughed.

I turned and ran out of the room, with tears stinging my eyes. Was this happening to me again? What he just said brought back some of the worst memories. Memories of me crying, trying to find my way out of the woods when Jake abandoned me there. Roaming around, cold for hours, praying that I would find my way out and to someone who could help me. I pushed past the people in the hallway upstairs and ran downstairs and towards the front door. I stepped outside and I stopped. What was I going to do? I needed to get home. I called the first person I thought of. I pulled out my phone. He answered on the first ring.

"Bella?" Edward breathed into the phone and I completely broke down in tears.

"What happened, Bella? Are you okay? Talk to me!" He sounded frantic. I pulled myself together so that I could form a sentence.

"Edward, I went out on this date with this guy named Collin and he brought me to this house party and he tried to kiss me and I told him to take me home, but he said he wouldn't and now I'm stuck here and I don't know what to do!" I wailed into the phone.

"He did WHAT?!? Where are you? I'm on my way right now, Bella." He said and I could hear him start his car. I read him the address off of the front door.

"Stay right there, Bella. Don't worry, I'm on my way and that son of a bitch, better pray to God that he is gone by the time I get there!" he yelled.

"Hurry please, Edward. I just want to get out of here." I pleaded with him.

"I'll be there in 30 minutes, sweetheart. I promise. Just stay there." He said.

"Okay, I'm going to let you go so that you can focus on the road." I sniffled.

"Alright. It's going to be alright, Bella. I'll see you soon." He said and before he hung up I could hear the rev of his car engine, so I knew that he was going to be here. I sat on the curb and pulled my knees to my chest. Why was this always happening to me? What had I done so wrong, that I deserved all the bad shit that seemed to drop out of the sky? As I finished my thought, I felt the first rain drop.

I don't know how long I was sitting there in the rain, but I knew it wasn't long. I didn't know Edward was there until he grabbed me up in his arms and put me in the passenger seat of his car. He went to the trunk and brought me a blanket. He wrapped me in it and kissed my forehead.

"Shhh, Bella. I'm here now. It's okay, sweetheart. I'll be right back. You stay here and I'll keep the car running so you can warm up." He said as he ran his hands through my hair.

"Don't leave me, Edward. I couldn't handle it, if you left me. Don't abandon me!" I started to cry even harder. I didn't want him to leave my side. I was a mess.

"Bells, I would never leave you, you know that. I just need to go inside for a second. I'll be right out. I promise." He kissed my forehead again and I nodded so that he would know that it was okay to leave. He shut the door and ran up to the front door of the house. I had a feeling that this wasn't about to end well… _at all_.

**EPOV**

I was so angry that Jake had called Bella that I was literally thinking about taking a trip down to the reservation to beat his ass again. Obviously he forgot about the ass kicking I delivered the first time around. He had no business trying to talk to Bella. I don't give a fuck about what he wants or who the fuck his father is to Charlie. There is no way that I'm ever going to allow that scum bag back in Bella's life. I was still fuming as I drove to practice and I think that as a result of me being angry, I had a really good practice. The coach said that it had been a while since he's seen me this aggressive.

Wrestling was a great outlet for my anger and I appreciated the distraction and the physical workout I got out of it. I headed for the showers, got dressed and drove home. I was sitting in my room, attempting to do some homework when my phone rang. I glanced over and noticed that it was Bella. I answered quickly. When I heard her crying, I didn't even think. I jumped up, grabbed my keys and headed to my car. When she told me that, that sick fuck decided that he wasn't going to take her home, I could have killed him. I didn't understand how the world could be so cruel to someone with such a huge heart. I knew that she was having horrible flashbacks of the night Jake left her in the middle of nowhere. I was going to beat the shit out of this son of a bitch when I got there. I went as fast as I could and I didn't care about breaking any laws. Bella needed me and I'd be damned if I would let her down like so many people have.

I didn't know what condition I would find her in, but I knew it wouldn't be good. It had started to rain and I sped up. I spotted her sitting on the curb and she was rocking back and forth and her shoulders were shaking. I screeched the car to a stop and jumped out. I ran over to her and scooped her up in my arms. I put her in the car and grabbed my spare blanket that I kept in my trunk. I made sure that I wrapped her up tight and kissed her on her forehead. I told her that I would be back, so that I could go handle that asshole that was in the house. She broke my heart as she stared at me with tears streaming down her face, begging for me not to abandon her. I couldn't do that… didn't she know that? I reassured her that I would be right back. As she nodded for me to go ahead, I kissed her on the forehead and broke out in a run towards the front door. I didn't bother to knock as I stormed in and grabbed the first guy I saw.

"Where the fuck is Collin?" I growled as I grabbed a hold of his collar. The boy looked like he was going to piss or shit himself, but he gave me what I needed.

"Calm down, man. Collin is on the back porch." He said as I released him and headed towards the back door. I swung the door open and there stood Collin, drinking a beer and laughing with his buddies. I didn't ask any questions. I swung him around and hit him with a right hook. He fell to the ground and grabbed his nose.

"Dude! What the fuck?" he screamed.

"Did you really have the fuckin audacity to tell Bella you weren't going to take her home?!?" I kicked him in the ribs. "Do you have any idea what I could do to you?!?" I grabbed him by the hair and continued to plant my fist all over his face. I don't know happened next, but someone pulled me off of him. I looked down at his bloodied face and turned around and headed towards the front door and back to Bella.

I got back into my car and looked over at Bella. She had somehow managed to fall asleep, she had mascara running down her cheeks and her nose was red, but I could seriously sit in this car and stare at her for hours. She was just that beautiful. I knew I had to get her home, but I knew that, that was probably be the last place she would want to be right now, so I left a message on the answering machine at her house, telling Charlie that Bella was staying over my house. I drove home with my hand in hers. I pulled up in front of my house and I rubbed on her arm.

"Bella, we're home. It's time to get up." I shook her shoulder a little and her eyes flew open and she started to panic. She started flinging her arms everywhere and she was in hysterics.

"Bella! Calm down. It's just me." I tried to grab her arms, but she was going too crazy. I got out the car and went to the passenger side door and managed to grab her out of the car. I sat down in the driveway and I just cradled her in my arms. I hated seeing Bella like this. She didn't deserve this and I just didn't understand why she got the short end of the stick… all the time. I let her cry and I just held her. There was nothing I could say right now and I knew it. So, I thought it best to let her get it all out. Ten minutes later, her cries turned into little sniffles. She looked up at me.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I depend on you way too much. You shouldn't have to come to my rescue all the time. I should have better judgment. This was stupid. I'm stupid." She said. She looked so broken.

"Bella, none of this is your fault. I come to your rescue, because I want to. Do you not understand how important you are to me?" I rubbed her back. We sat there for another five minutes and then I figured that we should get inside so that I could get her warmed up. I was grateful that no one was home, because I knew that she wouldn't want to be seen like this.

**BPOV**

I felt like a total idiot. How did I continue to let things like this happen and then to top it all off, I always seemed to drag Edward into my fucked up problems. I didn't mean to, but he was the only one I could count on in this situation. He had been here with me before, so it was natural for me to call him. He made sure I got in the house and he ran a hot bath for me and told me that he would have soup waiting for me when I got out. I stepped in the hot bath and I tried to relax, but it didn't seem to be working out to well. I turned on the water in the tub and I started crying again. I didn't want Edward to hear me, because I felt pathetic. After a good long cry, I decided to get out and go downstairs. I threw on some shorts and a tank top and went downstairs to the kitchen. Edward was sitting at the table and as promised there was a bowl of soup across the table from him. I didn't make eye contact as I sat down and silently started to eat. Edward didn't try to talk. He knew what I needed, so he just sat there and let me eat. He knew that his presence would be enough. I finished my soup and I just sat there staring at the empty bowl.

"You want some more?" Edward asked as he touched my hand.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." I said and offered him a small smile.

"What do you need right now, Bella?" he asked and I could clearly see the look of concern on his face. I really only needed one thing right now.

"Play for me." I said, as I looked at him. He grabbed my hand and led me to the basement. He grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around me and we sat on his piano bench. He started playing something I didn't recognize but it was absolutely beautiful. I leaned against him and tried to take deep breaths and not think about the horrible day that I had. He finished up the song and I felt a single tear slide down my cheek. Edward turned to me and took his hand and wiped the tear from my face. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. He leaned into me and my soul lit on fire as soon as his lips touched mine. It was unexpected, but it felt wonderful. This wasn't like the kiss during the dare. This was more… _so_ much more. I was vulnerable, I was hurt, but I wanted this. I needed this. I grabbed the side of his face and moaned into his mouth. How could a kiss light a fire so hot, that it seemed like all the water in the World couldn't extinguish it? All of a sudden, he pulled away and he had the look of shock in his eyes.

"Oh God, Bella! I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that. You're emotional right now and I just totally took advantage of you. I'm so sorry." He said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

How could he be sorry about something so perfect? I sure wasn't sorry…

**A/N: Like it? Love It? Hate It? Let me know! Press review! I want to remind you guys about the wonderful thing that MsKathy on Twitter is doing. If you donate to any charity on behalf of Haiti Relief all you have to do is email her your receipt and she will add you to a list of people who will be recieving one-shot's from over 100 of our favorite authors! My name on Twitter is Sierra812 you can follow me if you want more info. Next update will hopefully be on Tuesday or Wednesday since I'll be with my boyfriend until Monday. :) Have a wonderful weekend!**


	11. I'm Not That Girl

**A/N: Hello again! Thank you all so much for the reviews! I've tried to reply to everyone, but if I missed you, please know that it wasn't on purpose! :) I have put all of the outfits for this chapter on my profile, so go check it out. _If you have not heard the song "I'm Not That Girl" by Idina Menzel from Wicked, then you should really listen to it, especially towards the end of this chapter._ GAMERGIRL009 on Twitter....this one is for you! I promised you a "Wicked" surprise and here it is! :)**

**To my lovely beta TwiDi- I can't say this enough...YOU ARE AMAZING! Thank you for everything you do, sweets! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the charaters or the songs in this chapter or any of the other chapters!**

**Chapter 11- I'm Not That Girl**

**BPOV**

I looked at him as he kept apologizing over and over again about the kiss. I had to say something… _anything_. I put my hand on top of his hand.

"Stop apologizing, idiot! You're right, I'm emotional right now, but you did not take advantage of me, so stop apologizing. Let's go to sleep." I tried my best to push my hurt down underneath the surface, so that I could make sure that he was alright.

"Okay, Bells. Do you want me to get the guest room ready for you?" He asked.

"Can we sleep in the spare room down here? I really just don't want to be alone. Can you just stay with me until I fall asleep?" I looked up at him.

"Of course, Bells. Let's go." He grabbed my hand and we went into the room. He made sure I was comfortable and then he laid down behind him and he held me close and ran his fingers through my hair. This is why I loved him so much. He knew what I needed; he knew just how to make me feel better. It didn't take me long to drift off to sleep. I was scared awake a couple times during the night by nightmares that I thought I was through dealing with a long time ago. But every time I screamed, Edward was there with soothing words, rubbing my head and letting me know that I was going to be okay. Having Edward as a friend was one of the things that I haven't managed to screw up.

I woke up to the smell of food. I turned over in the huge bed and found two pairs of concerned eyes staring back at me.

"How are you, baby doll?" Rose asked.

"I'll be okay, Rose. You didn't have to come over here to check on me." I offered her a small smile.

"Like hell, I didn't! That Collin _prick_ better hope that I don't pay _him_ a fucking visit!" Rose glared. I could now see that sweet concerned Rose had gone back into hibernation and scary, 'payback's a bitch' Rose had woken up from a brief slumber.

"From what I hear, Edward took care of him. Dad had to look at his hand, because it's pretty banged up." Alice said as she climbed on the other side of me, so I was now lying on my back with Alice and Rose on either side of me.

"Oh no! I didn't know he got hurt!" I started to panic.

"Oh, calm down. He's alright and he thinks it was worth it and quite frankly, so do I." Alice rubbed my hand.

"I was completely terrified. I didn't know what to do. I don't ever want to have to go through that again." I wrapped my arms around my torso.

"You should have called me. I would have come and got you." Rose said as she looked at me.

"Then I would have had to call someone else, because you would probably be in jail right now for murder!" I laughed.

"True." She joined in my laughter and pretty soon; all three of us were in hysterics. We didn't notice that people had come downstairs.

"That's the greatest sound in the world, hearing you, ladies, laugh." Jasper said as he approached the bed with a breakfast tray and sat it in front of Alice.

"We made our girls breakfast." Jasper said as Edward and Emmett sat one tray in front of me and the other in front of Rose. I got up and went to each of them and gave them a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek. I still didn't know how I came to be so blessed when it came to the friends that were in my life.

"Aw, Bells. I see you're still all emotional." Emmett teased.

"Shut up, you big teddy bear! I just love you guys so, so much." I said as I took my place back on my side of the bed.

"We love you too and we're glad you're okay, darling." Jasper kissed me on the forehead.

Breakfast was amazing. The boys did a good job. We had sausage, bacon, eggs, French toast and fresh squeezed orange juice. We talked, laughed and joked around. We all finished eating and were all spread across the bed on our backs and rubbing our stomachs.

"Oh God, I'm soooo full!" Alice whined.

"Me too!" Rose and I chimed in.

"What are we doing today?" Edward asked.

"Well, I don't know what you guys are doing. But we the girls are going out for a day of pampering!" Alice bounced on the bed, "Let's go get ready!" she squealed.

I got off the bed and went upstairs to the bathroom in the guest room, which was more like my room, because I had a closet full of clothes here and so did Rose. Carlisle and Esme wanted to make sure that we all felt like this house was as much ours as it was Alice's and Edward's. We all had a closet in this house that was full of clothes that we bought, or whenever Esme would go shopping she made sure to get us all something. I took a hot shower and I was feeling really good about today. I needed to get out; so, going to get pampered and going shopping sounded like the perfect remedy for the blues. I knew that we were wearing what we always wore when we went out for a day of pampering… maxi dresses. I decided to wear my blue and white maxi dress, some blue ballet flats and I pulled my hair in a high ponytail because I didn't want to do anything too drastic to it if we were going to get it done. I also decided to skip the makeup. I met Alice and Rose downstairs and they were dressed pretty much like I was. Alice was wearing a burnt orange and tan maxi dress with tan ballet flats and Rose was wearing a green maxi dress with white flip flops. We grabbed our tote bags and headed out the door. Our first stop was to the beauty salon where we got our hair washed and styled and we got manicures, pedicures and facials. We left the beauty salon and headed to the mall. I was feeling so much better about everything. This was just what the doctor ordered.

"Are you having fun, Bella?" Rose asked as we walked into the mall.

"Yes, I am. Thank you, girls, so much for this, I really needed this." I sighed.

"I wonder what the boys are up to." Alice looked at Rose.

"They didn't have any concrete plans when we left the house. They mentioned something about catching a movie." Rose shrugged her shoulders. I decided that I wanted to text Edward, just to ask about his hand. I still felt bad about it.

*****

_E,_

_How's your hand? :( I feel absolutely terrible about that by the way._

_B_

*****

I didn't have to wait long for a response.

*****

_B,_

_Don't worry about my hand. If I had to do it all over again… I surely would. Are you having fun with the girls?_

_E_

*****

I typed him a quick response before I was pushed into the dressing room by Alice.

*****

_E,_

_I'm having a great time. I really needed this, your sister is wonderful and tell Em that his girlfriend rocks! ;) I'll see you tonight._

_B_

*****

We shopped until we dropped, but had so much fun doing it. We piled our bags in the truck and the backseat and headed for Ali's house. My girls sure knew how to take care of me. When we arrived in the house, I called my dad and told him I was staying over Ali's house until Monday. He was fine with this and just asked that I call him sometime this weekend. He was off work and planning on spending time with Billy in La Push. I promised to call him and decided that I would go spend some time with Edward. I walked down the hall to his room and I was getting ready to turn the handle when Alice came running down the hall.

"No, Bella! Don't go in there!" she half hissed and half whispered.

"Calm down, Ali. I just wanted to talk to him for a second." I said and before she could protest, I opened the door and there it was. The final sign that I needed to move on. Edward was laying in his bed with Tanya on top of him and they were kissing. That was it; I couldn't even bring myself to be hurt anymore. I was tired of always playing the fucking victim. I slammed his room door. I was slamming the door on my hurt and I was slamming the door on Edward. I couldn't torture myself anymore.

* * *

The following six months flew by. Edward apologized for not locking his door the night I walked in on him and Tanya. I accepted his apology and life moved on. I was dating Eric and it was wonderful. We hadn't taken our relationship to the physical level yet, because that wasn't something that I was ready for yet. He was a pure sweetheart. He walked me to all of my classes even if it meant that he was going to be late. He carried my books, kissed me outside of the classroom and was attentive to my needs. I was… dare I say it? _Happy_. Eric was so much different from Jake; and in the beginning, I had to remind myself of that several times. It was hard for me to break down the walls that I built a long time ago, but he was patient and he was kind. He was everything that I deserved.

Edward was dating Tanya and they seemed to be happy. Instead of walking me to Ali's car he would walk Tanya to hers. We still talked and hung out like best friends do, so nothing had really changed. Eric was fine with me having three best male friends. He knew that we all grew up together and that if he wanted me, he had to accept them as well. Tanya on the other hand was extremely jealous of the fact that every Tuesday night me and Edward would go to the movies together and every Saturday night me, Edward, Emmett, Rose, Jasper and Alice would have what we called "Best Friend Reconnection Day". She gave Edward a lot of grief for it and sometimes it looked like Edward's patience was wearing thin, but he never did anything about it, so the World just kept turning. I never lost that spark for Edward, I just pushed it deep down, but there were moments where I would catch myself staring a little longer than necessary. I still felt butterflies when I looked at him sometimes and I wondered if my feelings for him were part of the reason that I wasn't "ready" to get physical with Eric. I hated feeling like that, because it wasn't fair to Eric, but you can't stop what the heart feels. That's why Eric and I decided last week that we were going to just be friends. It was the right thing to do for me and for him.

Alice and I were in our final Choir class for the year and we were getting instruction on our final exam, which was worth 50% of our grade. We had to sing a solo during a special Choir assembly being held on the last day of school. The bell rang and the teacher wished us luck and said that she would see us at the assembly on Friday. We had known about this final for three weeks and I already had my song, but I told Alice that it was a secret.

"Bella, aren't you going to tell me what you're going to sing?" Alice whined.

"Alice, you have waited three weeks, I think that you can wait until tomorrow, when I perform it." I giggled. I was really nervous about this song. It said everything about what I felt and what I didn't say. I had made up my mind that now would be the time to let it all out in the open.

"Come on, Bella. I told you what I was singing!" Alice continued whine. I was eating Skittles so I shoved one in her mouth.

"Be patient. You'll love it!" I laughed, as we walked to her car. I had her drop me off at home, because I wanted to practice my song a couple more times and I had to get my performance outfit ready. Tomorrow was going to be a day to remember. At least I hoped that tomorrow would be the start of all things new. First, I decided to pick out the outfit I was going to wear. After an hour of searching, I finally decided on Fuchsia, purple and black dress and purple pumps. I was feeling good about the whole feel of the outfit. I practiced my song two times and decided to rest my voice and log into the computer. I saw that Alice was online. I was getting ready to message her, but she beat me to it.

**AlwaysxoOnlyxoAli**: Nervous about tomorrow?!?!?

**RingxoMyxoBells**: YES! I had to stop practicing before I lost my voice! What are you so worried about. I know you're going to be EXCELLENT! :)

**AlwaysxoOnlyxoAli**: You're going to be great too! I just want to get it over with, so we can get the summer started. I have a great feeling, Bells! You know about my feelings!

**RingxoMyxoBells**: Uh-oh. What do you have up your sleeve?

**AlwaysxoOnlyxoAli**: For the first time I can sincerely say that I have nothing up my sleeve. It's just a great feeling!

**RingxoMyxoBells**: Ok, Ali. I'm going to drink some tea and get ready for bed. BIG DAY TOMORROW! You should do the same.

**AlwaysxoOnlyxoAli**: Alright, Bells. Goodnight!! See you at the assembly at 6 pm. Not a moment later!

**RingxoMyxoBells**: See you there. Get plenty of rest.

I logged off and made a nice cup of hot tea and settled in for bed. I knew that the kids that were a part of the Choir assembly were excused from classes until assembly time, so I would at least get to sleep in. I fell asleep and had this wonderful dream about everything working out just the way that it was supposed to.

I woke up late. It was about 2 pm when I decided that it was time to start getting ready. I decided on a nice long lavender and milk bath. I lit candles and soaked in the tub doing my vocal exercises, because if today worked the way it was supposed to, I would get everything I've ever wanted. I got out of the tub at 4 and proceeded to get ready for the day. I put on some lotion, slipped on my dress, put on my earrings, shoes, makeup and headed downstairs. I was riding to the assembly with Charlie since he was going to be there. I walked into the kitchen and decided that I should probably eat something. I settled for a banana and some toast. As I was finishing up my light snack Charlie came down in a suit.

"You look great, Dad!" I hugged him.

"Thanks, Bells. You look pretty good yourself." He said as he took my arm and twirled me.

"You ready to go. I know you have to get warmed up before." He asked me.

"Yeah, let's get a move on." I said as I grabbed my clutch and headed for the door.

While we were driving I received four text messages back to back.

*****

_B,_

_You are going to be great! Good luck!_

_R_

*****

_B,_

_I'm sure you're going to rock my socks off!_

_Em_

*****

_B,_

_Very best of luck to my second favorite lil' darling! ;)_

_Jazz_

*****

_B,_

_Good luck, beautiful._

_E_

*****

I smiled as I read them all. They all had more confidence in me than I had in myself; and I loved them all for it. We pulled up in front of the school and Charlie went to find a seat and I went to the music room where I knew the other Choir kids would be. I first caught sight of Alice who looked amazing in her tan and sequined strapless dress and silver pumps. I ran over and hugged her.

"You look ah-mazing, Ali!" I squealed.

"So do you, Bella! You ready to get this party started?" she asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be!" I took a deep breath.

Alice rocked it out singing Katy Perry's "Waking Up in Vegas". And she sung Gretchen Wilson's "Here for the Party", which was Jasper's favorite song to hear her sing and you could tell by his expression in the front row that Alice was in for a fun night, when we got out of here. She knew what happened to him when she sung a country song; he melted into a big pile of goo! She had asked the teacher if she could sing two songs, but she only wanted to be graded on the first one, the second one was just for fun. Alice loved being on the stage.

I was last to go out. I peeked around the curtain and noticed that all my friends were sitting in the front row; the only problem was that Tanya was also in the front row hanging all over Edward. I brushed it off and waited to hear my name called. I got my wish two minutes later when our Choir director called me to the stage. I took a deep breath and walked to the center of the stage. The music started and I was now in the zone.

"_Hands touch. Eyes meet. Sudden silence. Sudden heat."_ I looked at Edward.

"_Hearts leap in a giddy whirl. He could be that boy, but I'm not that girl."_

"_Don't dream too far. Don't lose sight of who you are. Don't remember that rush of joy."_

"_He could be that boy. I'm not that girl."_

"_Every so often, we long to steal to the land of what-might-have-been, but that doesn't soften the ache we feel when reality sets back in."_

"_Blithe smile, lithe limb. She who's winsome, she wins him."_ I looked at Tanya

"_Gold hair with a gentle curl. That's the girl he chose."_

"_And Heaven knows… I'm not that girl." _I felt the words in my heart. That was the reason that I chose this song. The lyrics spoke to me and what I was going through.

"_Don't wish, don't start."_ I looked at Alice and she nodded her head for me to continue.

"_Wishing only wounds the heart."_ I stared hard at Edward, trying to get him to feel what I was saying. He wasn't able to see a couple months ago. I was hoping and praying that he would see now.

"_I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl."_

"_There's a girl I know. He loves her so."_

"_I'm not… that girl."_ I finished my song and stood as I heard applause. I looked in the audience and noticed that my Dad, Rose, Alice, Emmett and Jazz were standing up and beaming at me. Emmett threw some roses on the stage. The one person I was looking for a reaction out of was still sitting and he wasn't paying any attention to what was going on, on the stage. He was having a conversation with Tanya. I took my bow and walked off the stage. I needed to get out and get some air before I confronted Edward and opened my heart up to him. I started walking down the hall.

**EPOV**

The assembly was going great. Alice sounded great, as usual. I knew she was going to be awesome because she had been practicing all week. I was sitting here with Tanya and trying to listen to her whining about how we could be doing other things. She clearly didn't want to be there, but there was no way I was going to miss my sister and my best friend's performance. Bella came out on the stage and she looked simply stunning. I hadn't heard her practicing, so I had no idea what she was singing, but as soon as the music started my breath caught in my throat. She was singing "I'm Not That Girl" by Idina Menzel from The Wicked soundtrack.

I knew this right away, because as a birthday gift last year I took her and Alice to see the musical. The emotions in her voice were unlike anything I have ever heard from her. The way she was looking at me, it was like she was willing me to see and feel what she was feeling. It was slightly overwhelming, but in the best possible way. I got lost in her voice and in her emotions and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. This is what she wanted me to see all those months ago. This is what she was waiting for. She was waiting for a confirmation that I felt the way she felt. How could I have been such a damn idiot? The shit that I put her through, I'm surprised that she still even wants to be my friend.

She felt for me how I felt for her. That thought made me warm on the inside. I spent a long time trying to fight these feelings, when all along I should have just been honest with her. I wonder how long we've felt like this and have been running from it. She finished the song and I knew I had to go to her. I needed to tell her that I loved her. It was my turn to make her see. Just as I was about to get up I felt a hand on my thigh.

"That's right, that bitch knows you chose me. I told you Edward, I told you that she wanted you; and if you can't see it after that, then you're just fuckin' stupid!" she hissed at me. I lost my cool.

"You know what, Tanya? I've been dealing with your bullshit for _six_ months now. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of you. I've had enough. All you do is whine and complain and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you sit up here and bad mouth Bella. You and I are _over_. We're _done_. You're not what or who I want." I hissed. She looked like she was hit by a truck and at this moment in time I couldn't bring myself to care. I had to get to Bella. I looked at the stage and noticed that Bella was already gone. I needed to find her. I jumped up and headed to the hallway. I saw Bella getting ready to open the door to go outside. I couldn't let her leave. Not again.

"Bella!" I screamed as I ran down the hall. She looked up at me when I stopped in front of her. I grabbed her hands.

"I love you." I breathed.

"I love you too, Edward." She smiled, but I knew she didn't feel it like I meant it.

"No, Bella. I fucking _love_ you. I want you. I choose _you_, baby." I grabbed the side of her head and forced her to look in my eyes.

"Edward, you don't know what you're saying." She had tears in her eyes.

"I know what I feel, Bella. I've felt it for months; I've been running from it. I'm _in_ love with you. I've only ever wanted you. Please tell me I'm not too late." I used my eyes to plead with her. She stared at me, but she hadn't spoken a word yet.

Why wasn't she saying anything? _Was I really too late?_

_**A/N: Like it? Love it? Hate it? As always....Let me know! I look forward to hearing from you. I've signed up to contribute a one-shot for "TwiFans for Haiti" if you can think of any chapter in this story that you want to see done from someone else's POV, then let me know! :)**_


	12. When I Look At You

**OUTFITS FOR THIS CHAPTER CAN BE FOUND ON MY PROFILE! :)**

**A/N: I want you to listen to 3 songs while you're reading this chapter or after. I think they all give a feel of the different emotions in this chapter. They are: "Hometown Glory" by Adele, "Man, I Feel Like A Woman" by Shania Twain and "When I Look At You" by Miley Cyrus. Ok, on to the thank you's...I want to thank each and everyone of you that takes time out of your day to not only read my story, but review it as well. It means a great deal to me, and I hope that you continue to do so. **

**To my beta TwiDi: I 3 you girlie! Thanks for being so very awesome! You truly are wonderfully great! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight. I do NOT own any of it's characters. I do NOT own the rights to the songs or games mentioned in this chapter. I do however own the words that are written! **

**ENJOY! :)**

**Chapter 12- When I Look At You**

**Everybody needs inspiration  
Everybody needs a song  
A beautiful melody  
When the night's so long  
Cause there is no guarantee  
That this life is easy**

**Yeah, when my world is falling apart  
When there's no light to break up the dark  
That's when I, I, I look at you  
When the waves are flooding the shore and I  
Can't find my way home anymore  
That's when I, I, I look at you**

**When I look at you  
I see forgiveness  
I see the truth  
You love me for who I am  
Like the stars hold the moon  
Right there where they belong and I know  
I'm not alone**

**You, appear, just like a dream to me  
Just like kaleidoscope colors that  
Cover me  
All I need  
Every breath, that I breathe  
Dontcha know?  
You're beautiful**

**You appear just like a dream to me...**

**(When I Look At You-Miley Cyrus)**

**BPOV**

Was I hearing what I thought I was hearing? Did Edward just say that he was _in_ love with me? He chose _me_? I had waited to hear those words for so long. I used to fantasize about what they would sound like coming from his mouth, but now as I heard them… I didn't know if I could believe him. He was with Tanya and I just broke up with Eric last week, he couldn't possibly know what he was saying.

"Bella, baby. Say something… _anything_." Edward said as he took a step closer to me. I turned my back to him. I had to compose myself. I felt the tears sliding down my face and I didn't want him to see them. I took a breath and decided that I needed to say something.

"Edward, I… I don't know what to say to that." I said with a shaky voice.

"You say that you love me too, Bella. Look at me and tell me that you love me, sweetheart!" He said and I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. He put his hands on my shoulders and turned me around. I was now staring at his chest. He grabbed my chin and tilted my head up so that I could look him in the eyes and what I saw literally made me stagger. He looked as if his world totally depended on my love for him. He looked on the verge of tears, but more than anything… he looked like he was _in love_. I let the tears flow freely and wrapped my arms around his body.

"I love you too, Edward. I'm absolutely and positively in love with you." I cried into his shirt. He pulled back to look at me. He took his hands and wiped the tears from my cheeks. He looked in my eyes for two minutes straight, just staring.

"God, how could I have been so stupid!?! It was right in front of my face for so long. I was meant to be with you." He said as he tucked my hair behind my ear.

"We've both been stupid. I should have told you a long time ago, but I was scared." I looked up at him.

"Well, we are not going to waste anymore time." He said and hesitantly leaned down and kissed me.

This kiss was different from all the rest. It was full of emotion. It was full of need. It was full of want. It was full of passion. It was full of _love_. I wrapped my arms around his neck and melted into his body. My body was pressed against his, but it felt like I couldn't get close enough. I needed to get closer. I backed him into the wall and I felt like I was literally trying to fuse my body into his. He laughed.

"Whoa, there! Looks like _someone_ is excited, not that I'm complaining." He laughed as he leaned down and captured my lip between his teeth.

"Oh, there you two are…" Alice trailed off, "Nevermind. As you were…" she giggled and ran back down the hall.

"I don't think I've seen your sister this happy since she and Jasper became official." I smiled up at Edward.

"I know. Speaking of _official_, are we official?" He asked as he shuffled from one foot to the other. He was nervous and it was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

"What about Tanya?" I asked.

"Tanya and I are through and we should never have started." He said and he had the look of disgust written all over his face. I wanted to make him smile.

"Soooo?" he asked impatiently. I leaned in a placed a small kiss on his lip.

"We are so official, like a referee with a whistle." I giggled and winked at him. He laughed at my joke, picked me up and twirled me around, before kissing me deeply. _I had a feeling… that tonight was going to be a good night._

We headed back to the auditorium, but it was just about empty. It looked like everyone had packed up and was off to get their summer started. My dad was talking to Esme and Carlisle, so I decided to go find Alice. Well, I didn't get a chance to find her, because as I was walking up the auditorium stairs, two arms reached out and dragged me into the shadows.

"What the hell?" I whipped my head around to see who it was and I was staring into the eyes of a smiling Alice and Rose.

"Finally!!!" Alice shouted as she hugged me.

"Good job, Bells. I didn't know you were singing that song, but as soon as I recognized it, I knew that you had hit the nail on the head and tonight was going to be _the_ night!" Rose smiled.

"I'm so happy. There are no words that could possibly express how truly, completely and utterly happy I feel." I was smiling so wide that my cheeks were starting to hurt.

"Since you and my bone-head of a brother are officially an item, that means that at our annual end of the school year get together, you can join in on the couple's performance!" Alice jumped up and down.

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that. I don't even know what you girls are doing this year and whatever it is, I don't have a costume." I looked at her.

"No worries, Bella. Remember when I told you that I had a good feeling about tonight? Well, I bought you a costume and it is at my house and waiting in the guest room!" she squealed.

"Ok, I'm all in. This should be fun!" I said and I was actually really excited. There was nothing that would be able to mess this night up for me.

We walked back over to our parents and I thanked my Dad for coming and told him that I would be home on Sunday. He kissed my cheek and congratulated me on a great performance and said that he would also be home on Sunday. Esme and Carlisle said that they were going to stay a little longer, but we should go ahead and go home. I was excited for our little get together, it was always only us six and we had a ball. I rode with Edward home and I'm pretty sure that if we were around a group of people, they would have found our 'sweetness' absolutely repulsive. We held hands and snuck kisses in at every red light. More than a few times, Emmett had to blow his horn because the light had turned green. We laughed it off and kept driving. We pulled up at the house ten minutes later and everyone took off in different directions. Edward grabbed my hand and kissed my fingers.

"Can we do something?" He asked.

"Anything." I gazed up at him. He smiled and I damn near jumped on him right there in the middle of the foyer.

"Come with me." He led me downstairs to the music room. He sat in front of his piano and turned to look at me.

"Bella, you're an amazing singer and it struck me the other day that you have never sang a song while I played; and I want, no, I _need_ to make music with you… all kinds of music." He smirked as he said the last part.

"Umm… sure. I'll sing. What are you playing?" I asked.

"Just listen." He turned toward the piano and started playing and as soon as the first notes filled the air I knew that this was my favorite song, it was Adele's "Hometown Glory". I had been begging Edward to learn this particular piece of music just so I could listen. Now, I would get to sing it for him. He turned to me, never missing a note.

"Ready, babe?" He smirked. I smiled and started singing.

"_I've been walking in the same way as I did. Missing out the cracks in the pavement and tutting my heel and strutting my feet."_ Edward turned to look at me, smiling as he mouthed the word "perfect" before he turned his attention back to the piano.

"_Is there anything I can do for you, dear? Is there anyone I can call?" "No and thank you, please Madam. I ain't lost, just wandering."_

"_Round my hometown, memories are fresh. Round my hometown, ooh the people I've met. Are the wonders of my world." _I continued to sing and it felt good to intimately share this side of me with Edward. I usually didn't sing around people unless it was a school project or Alice and I playing around. I didn't know why Edward and I hadn't done this before, but I knew now. There was this electricity flowing from his fingers into the piano and it was being transferred into my body. I was breaking out in goose bumps. His piano playing was beautiful as always and I just hoped that my voice did it justice. I could feel the ties that bound us, growing a little tighter and before the night was over, I was sure that they would become unbreakable.

I finished the last note and we sat in silence for a second. I knew he could feel the emotions rolling off of me, because I felt his emotions. He turned to me, placed one hand on my cheek and took the other hand and used his fingers to trace the outline of my face and lips.

"Beautiful." Was the only word he uttered, but it was all I needed to hear. I leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. He was getting ready to deepen the kiss when we heard the applause. I looked up and noticed that all of our friends and Esme and Carlisle were standing outside the doors to the music room, smiling and clapping. Esme walked over and hugged me.

"Honey, I could sit and listen to you sing for hours! That was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. And you…" Esme turned towards Edward.

"…have never played like that before. I can see from the kiss at the end of that _something_ has changed. I won't pressure you for answers tonight, because I know you guys and gals have a party that you want to get started." She winked at Edward and gave me another hug and a kiss on the cheek before her and Carlisle headed upstairs.

"I'm so jealous!" Alice said as she leaned against Jasper.

"Jealous of what?" I laughed.

"Well, you guys can make beautiful music together and I've always wanted to do that with Jazzy." She whined. Jasper circled his arms around her stomach and leaned down to whisper in her ear, but he made his statement loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Oh baby, we make beautiful music in the bedroom." He nipped at her ear.

"Eww! Enough of that shit!" Rose hit Jasper on his shoulder. We all laughed. We got everything set up for the little "party" we were about to get started. Edward and I turned popping popcorn which is something that should take two minutes to do, into something that took about ten minutes to finish. I was just enjoying being with him and knowing that each kiss that he granted me, meant something totally different now. I kind of wanted to just spend as much time alone with him as possible and I didn't think that was a crime. We partied the night away. We laughed, we drank, we watched movies and we even played boys vs. girl games of Trivial Pursuit, Taboo and Disney Scene It? It was around 1 am and we were lying on different couches wrapped up in the arms of our partners, when Alice jumped up.

"Girls, it's time!" Alice shouted. She put three chairs in the middle of the floor.

"Boys, take a seat and do not move until instructed. Got it?" She pointed her little finger at them. They knew what was about to take place, but they had no idea the concept behind this year's performance. We dedicated each year to a different boy in our group. Last year Alice and Rose performed "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi and that went out to Emmett. I was curious to find out what we were doing this year.

"Oh, we're not going anywhere!" Emmett jumped up and was the first one in his seat. We laughed at his eagerness and told them we would be back down as soon as possible.

We bolted up the stairs and headed into different bathrooms to take a quick shower. We all met back up in the guest room and I knew right away after looking at the outfits that this year's performance was for Jasper's benefit. On the bed with a note attached with our names on it were a brown cowboy hat, a white button-up shirt, a blue jean mini skirt, brown cowboy boots and a brown suit tie. The only things that differed about each outfit were the shirts, cowboy hats, suit ties and boots. Alice was wearing a red, white and blue plaid shirt, with a white cowboy hat, white tie and blue cowboy boots. Rose was wearing a blue and black plaid shirt, black cowboy hat, black suit tie and black cowboy boots. Jasper was going to probably pass the hell out.

Alice and Rose taught me the routine and thank God it wasn't difficult and I picked it up fast. We were finishing up when my phone vibrated. I smiled at the text message from Edward.

*****

_B,_

_Baby, what is taking you girls so long? I can't keep Emmett entertained for much longer._

_E_

*****

"Rose, your man is down there causing trouble. You know how impatient he is." I laughed.

"We're on our way down now, but DON'T tell them that." Alice said.

We tiptoed down the stairs with Alice's IPod docking station, speakers and her IPod. We made sure they didn't see us. We set everything up and Alice threw trench coats at us for us to put on. We completed the look and looked in the mirror and it looked like we didn't have anything on but cowboy boots and hats. I couldn't wait to see Jasper's expression! We turned the I-pod on and waited.

**EPOV**

Emmett was acting like a big impatient asshole. Granted we had been down here alone for about an hour, but I knew that my patience would most certainly be rewarded. I had a couple surprises up my sleeve… if Bella was ready. I didn't get to finish my thought because I started hearing music… it was time.

"_Let's Go, girls."_ That's all Jasper had to hear before his mouth dropped opened. It was Shania Twain's "Man, I Feel Like A Woman." Jasper had officially died and gone to Heaven and he hadn't even seen Alice yet. I shook my head and waited.

"_I'm going out tonight, I'm feelin' alright. Gonna let it all hang out. Wanna make some noise, really raise my voice. Yeah, I wanna scream and shout."_ Hands trailed down our chest from behind us. I was lost when all of a sudden standing in front of me, in what appeared to be a cowboy hat and boots and only a trench coat was Bella smiling down at me. I had to restrain myself from getting up from my chair and dragging her upstairs.

"_No inhibitions, make no conditions. Get a little outta line. Ain't gon act politically correct. I only wanna have a good time."_ As she swayed her hips to the music, I was completely hypnotized. Emmett and Jasper looked forward to this every year and I didn't understand why until now. Even though, right at this moment, I just wanted it to be over. This was like slow torture.

"_The best thing about being a woman is the prerogative to have a little fun and oh, oh, oh go totally crazy, forget I'm a lady. Men's shirts, short skirts. Oh, oh, oh really go wild, yeah doin' it in style."_ Bella was standing on the other side of the room and she started walking towards me and sat down on my lap. She took her hat off and put it on my head, before getting up and bending down in front of me to get something from out of her boot. She stood up and unraveled a suit tie. I was beyond turned on. This was becoming quite painful and I could tell by the looks on Emmett and Jasper's faces that I wasn't the only one in agony.

"_Oh, oh, oh get in the action, feel the attraction. Color my hair, do what I dare. Oh, oh, oh I wanna be free, yeah to feel the way I feel. Man, I feel like a woman!"_ Bella threw the tie around my neck and pulled me to her lips. I damn near passed out. This was too much and I knew that in order for me to do things the way that I wanted to do them tonight. I would need to calm down after this. Luckily the torture didn't last too long after that. Jasper was the first one to speak.

"Holy Hell! Goodnight!" Jasper said as he chased a giggling Alice up the stairs. I just shook my head. It didn't take too much time after that for Rose and Emmett to go running upstairs, so that left me and Bella. She walked slowly towards me. She hugged me and looked into my eyes and I could swear that the look she was giving me was one of complete desire. I could be mistaken; maybe my judgment was clouded, because right at this moment… I was full of nothing but love and desire. I smiled down at her.

"Hey, there." I kissed her forehead.

"Hey." She said as she leaned up to give me a kiss. I had to get her out of here, before I completely ruined what I had planned for tonight. I took her hand.

"Baby, I want you to go upstairs and sit in the living room and watch TV until I come and get you." I said and she pouted at me. I kissed her.

"I promise I won't be long and I know you're going to love it, so go on." I slapped her on the ass as she walked towards the stairs. She turned around before she went up.

"I love you, Edward."

"I love you too, sexy." I winked at her and she chuckled.

Before my parents got home, I sent my Mom a text and told her that I needed her to pick some things up from the grocery store. When I gave her the list, she asked me who it was for and I told her Bella. She didn't pressure me for any information, she just said that she would get what I asked for and we would talk later. When she came downstairs while Bella was singing you put everything in its place. I just needed to pull it all out and put it in place. I lit candles and placed them all around the room. I took the two boxes of rose petals and scattered them around on the floor and the bed, then I took the strawberries and whipped cream out of the refrigerator and placed them on the dresser next to the bed. Ten minutes later, I was done and on my way upstairs to get Bella. I grabbed the tie that she used from her performance and headed upstairs. She was sitting on the couch curled up under the blanket watching cartoons and giggling. I rubbed her shoulders.

"You ready?" I asked as she turned around and looked at me.

"Yes." She answered and I smiled to myself. She really must trust me, because she had no idea what I was asking if she was ready for.

"I'm going to tie this around your eyes and I'll take it off when we get to where we're going." I tied the suit tie around her eyes and scooped her off of the couch and I carried her down to the bedroom in the basement. When we reached the door, I put her down on her feet and stood behind her. I reached up and undid the tie and she gasped.

"Wha... what is this for?" she turned to me and I saw the tears beginning to pool in her eyes. I grabbed her hand and I sat her down on the edge of the bed.

"Bella, I understand if you're not ready to take this step with me right now. I'll understand if you think it's too soon, but I just wanted to let you know that in this world that has caused you so much pain, I wanted to be the one to show you that you won't ever have to feel that again. We can just lay here in each other's arms, we don't have to…" I didn't get to finish, because she put her finger up to my lip.

**BPOV**

The scene that Edward had created in this bedroom was one of love. It took my breath away and made me want to cry tears of joy. I had to stop him when he was trying to explain what he was trying to do here. He sounded like he didn't know if I wanted what he wanted. I didn't think it was too soon, I had known Edward since kindergarten. We didn't need to go through the process of getting to know each other. I knew every secret corner of his heart as he knew mine. How could I not want this?

"Stop… Edward. It sounds like you don't think I want to take this step with you. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, I've been hurt by many people, but that doesn't mean that I ever felt like I didn't deserve this… like I didn't deserve you. Even through all the hurt after seeing what my Dad went through when my mom left him, I knew that true, reciprocated love existed. I never gave up on finding it. You've been by my side through every single thing that has happened to me that sometimes I felt like I was unloading my unhappiness and pain onto you and that wasn't fair. I think it's time I give you something that makes you feel good. I need to make you feel good." I said as I reached up and brushed my hand over his face.

I stood us up and I stood before him trying to think of what I wanted to do first. This truly was a big step for me. I hadn't been with anyone since Jacob and the set up had never been like this even though he was my first. I knew deep down in my heart that this was about to be something completely different. This wasn't going to come down to just "getting off". This meant so much. I lifted my hand and started to unbutton his shirt with shaking hands. I was half way done when his hands reached up and cupped my hands with his. He leaned down and placed kisses on my forehead, my eye lids, my cheeks, my nose, the corners of my mouth and then he placed his lips on mine. It was sweet agony. I felt the heat between us building, it was getting hotter and hotter; and I was falling deeper and deeper that I didn't want to be saved. I wanted to fall… right into Edward. I wanted _him_ to fall right into _me_. He broke the kiss. His lips had the most delicious pink tint to them and his eyes were a dark green, full of lust and love.

"This is about you. Let me make this about you. Let me show you how it can be. Will you let me?" he asked as he pulled my hair loose from the ponytail I had it in.

"Yes." I breathed out.

He took a step back and undid the buttons on my shirt with ease. I was standing there with the front of shirt open. He bent down a kissed a soft trail from the bottom of my ear to right below my belly button; it was like he was worshipping my body, taking in what I was so willing to give. He slipped my shirt down my shoulders and then kissed every piece of newly exposed skin. My breathing was picking up; I needed his hands on me and I needed my hands on him, but I wasn't about to mess this moment up for us. He paid extra attention to kissing and rubbing my back. He walked around me, paused and stared at me in a way that let me know what he was feeling. He stood in front of me and reached around and unclasped my bra.

"I love you and I'm about to show you just how much." He said as my bra fell to the floor.

**A/N: SORRY THAT I STOPPED IT RIGHT THERE! I know that it is incredibly mean! :) I'm going to try and have the next chapter up in 3-4 days. You'll get your lemons then! :) I wrote a one-shot for MsKathy's TwiFans for Haiti. She is asking that we don't post it before March 1st, but i don't think I'll be posting it at all, so I hope you all donated and sent the proper material to MsKathy on Twiitter! Today was the last day to donate! :) I'll see you all next time.**


	13. Love The Way

**A/N: I want to first apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. There have been some personal things that have come up, and I have to really take care of myself right now. I probably won't be able to offer 2-3 chapters a week anymore, but I can promise 1 a week. I apologize, but there is more than just me that I have to worry about right now. Thank you in advance for your understanding. Secondly, I want to apologize that there isn't a lemon in this chapter; I just thought that it was moving a little too fast and there needs to be more relationship development. I also want to thank you all for sticking with the story and continuing to review it and add it to your alerts/favorites. I have added some goodies from this chapter on my profile and I really suggest that you go take a look at those. **

**To my wonderfully fantastic beta TwiDi- Thank you soooo much for everything that you do! I appreciate it, bb. I truly wouldn't be able to do this without you, so thank you for sticking in there with me!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight or its characters. I do however own these words. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 13- Love The Way**

**Baby, come inside you'll never know what you might find.  
Maybe you'll find that there are better days if you leave these days behind.  
So baby take my hand and let me show you, let me show you**

**Cause I love the way you love the way I love you  
And I love the way you love me too  
And I love the way we take away each other  
Into places that erase away our thoughts, our cares, our dreams or scares  
And I never want to let you go  
Because I love the way you are**

**So Baby, you live and learn, you crash and burn and c'est la vie  
But it's crazy to me, you'll never see, no you'll never see what you mean to me  
But baby take my hand and let me show you**

**Cause I love the way you love the way I love you  
And I love the way you love me too  
And I love the way we take away each other  
Into places that erase away our thoughts, our cares, our dreams or scares  
And I never want to let you go  
Because I love the way you are**

**(Love The Way-Five Times August)**

**EPOV**

Here I was standing in front of Bella, lost in the essence of her. Everything about her surrounded me and took over my senses. I wanted nothing more than to make love to Bella, I knew that her first time left much to be desired and I wanted to show her how it was supposed to be…how it was going to be from now on.

To tell the truth this was all new to me as well. Sure, I've had sex before, but that's all it was… just sex. I've never made love to a girl before. But standing here with Bella right now, I had no doubts in my mind that I could make this perfect. Perfect for me and perfect for her. She was beautiful, she was strong and she was confident whether she acknowledged it or not and here she was standing in front of me offering herself in a way that she has never done before… not even with Jacob.

The trust she held for me was evident in the way she looked at me, the way she touched me and the way she told me that it was okay. I was unsure about if we were ready to take this step, because we had just became official. I didn't want her to feel like I was pressuring her into doing something she didn't want to do. I didn't want her to feel like she had to give this to me because the truth of the matter was that I would wait for her forever. There was no need to rush and I felt no sense of entitlement. I placed both hands on her cheeks, tilted her head up and looked her straight in the eye.

"Bells, are you sure about this? We can wait. Don't feel like because I pulled out the strawberries, candles and rose petals that we have to do this. I'm seriously okay with just holding you tonight." I placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Before she could answer my question, there was banging at the door.

"Yo, E. You need to get out here." Emmett's voice came through the door.

"Right now?!?" I yelled back in frustration.

"Yeah, E. You need to come out. We're sorry for interrupting." Jasper said. Now, I knew something was up if they both were telling me that I needed to leave Bella.

"I'll be back, babe." I kissed her on the forehead. I wondered what the fuck was up.

**BPOV**

I was ready. It was that simple. I wasn't ready with Jacob. He was just treating me so fucking horribly that I figured that if I gave him the biggest part of me, then things would change. _What the fuck was I thinking? Oh, that's right, I wasn't thinking!_ It was the biggest mistake of my life. If there was a way for me to take it back, I would. It wasn't anything like I have ever imagined my first time to be. I wasn't in love with him… I thought I was; and I sincerely don't think that he was in love with me. He was in love with the thought of me. We started something that never should have been started in the first place. He set the fire and I stuck my hand in it and I was burnt… _bad_. It's just that simple.

Standing here with Edward was a different story. I knew I loved him and I knew he loved me. I have never been so sure about anything in my whole life and here he was now asking me if I was ready to do this. I was ready to tell him 'yes', but we were interrupted by Jasper and Emmett who sounded like they were worried about something. I watched Edward button his shirt back up and I put my clothes back on. He opened the door and Em and Jazz were standing there looking scared. What the fuck was going on?

"Is everything alright?" I looked back and forth between Em and Jazz.

"Um, yeah, Bells. Did you want us to send Ali and Rose down here to sit with you?" Jasper asked.

"No, no that isn't necessary. You boys go ahead." I walked over to Edward and placed a small kiss on his lips.

"I won't be long." He promised.

I sat down on the bed and looked around at the room at the strawberries and the rose petals. I fell back onto the mattress and sighed. I had waited so long for this. I have waited so long for Edward; and it was so hard to believe that I had him. After so many things in my life going wrong, it seemed like things were making a turn for the better. I smiled up at the ceiling as the candle light caused flickering shadows to dance across the ceiling. I was starting to get sleepy, but I wanted to be awake when Edward comes back. I felt myself surrendering to sleep, so I decided to write him a quick note. I grabbed the paper and pen out of the side drawer by the bed.

_My Baby,_

_I couldn't stay up any longer. I don't know what has kept you so long, but I'm sure it must have been important. When you get this I want you to do what you promised. I want you to hold me and not let go. I love you so much, E. I'll see you in the morning ;)_

_B._

I placed the note on the pillow next to mine and went around the room blowing the candles out as I went. I pulled the covers around me and finally surrendered completely to sleep.

**EPOV**

I was thankful that Em and Jazz came and got me out of the room, because I clearly needed to diffuse that situation before it became worse. I still wasn't sure if I had fixed the problem completely, but I knew that I, at least, bought us some time. I had a feeling that things would escalate and rapidly, but I wasn't worried about it. I would just have to make sure Bella was never too far out of my sight. Em and Jazz were going to fill Ali and Rose in on what was going on, so I would just leave it at that.

I walked into the room and noticed that the candles were out. So, I went to my side of the bed and turned on the table lamp. I noticed the note on my pillow and I read it. This girl was truly amazing. She wasn't mad at me for keeping her waiting and she didn't question what the issue was that would tear me away from her. I was sure in that moment that she was way more than what I deserved, but I would try everyday to be the man that is worthy of her. I looked over at her sleeping form and I noticed that the corners of her mouth were slightly quirked up as if she fell asleep with a smile on her face. Bella awake was a glorious thing to see, but when she was sleeping, she was absolutely fucking beautiful. The way she pulled the covers all the way up to her chin, the way little pieces of hair would escape her ponytail and cascade into her face. She looked at peace and happy; and I hoped with all my heart that I had something to do with that.

I pushed the stray pieces of hair away from her face and kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose and then I placed a chaste kiss on her lips. She mumbled incoherently and turned over. She hated being woken up. I chuckled to myself at the way her little nose scrunched up as she turned over. Since she had gone through the trouble of writing me a note, I thought that I would return the favor.

_B,_

_Good morning, beautiful. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you went to sleep. I can assure you that the reason why I was away for so long was worthwhile; and I'll tell you all about it when the time is right. I don't want you to worry and I know that you understand that. I'll do everything I can to keep you with me, happy, healthy and more importantly… to keep you safe. I know I've been foolish and dense these past few months and there aren't enough words in any language that could express how sorry I am and how blessed I am that you are even giving me the chance to be with you. I love you, Isabella and I'll spend forever proving that to you. If you can't believe in anything else…baby, believe that._

_E_

I placed the note under the glass of water she had placed on the side table. I turned off the light, pulled the covers back and climbed into the bed. I wrapped my arms around her and breathed in the vanilla brown sugar scent of her shampoo. She pushed further back into me.

"Edward?" she mumbled.

"Shhh, sweetheart. Go back to sleep. I'll be here in the morning." I kissed the back of her head as she sighed and went back to sleep. It didn't take long for me to join her.

**BPOV**

I woke up to the feel of Edward's breath against the back of neck. It felt so good to just be in his arms. I carefully unwrapped myself from his arms and turned over to look at him. His hair was more in disarray than it usually was, but he of course was still beautiful, especially with the face that looked like it was carved from the finest marble. Carlisle and Esme made some gorgeous babies. His lips were slightly parted and begging to be kissed, but I resisted the urge, because I didn't want to wake him.

I needed to get showered and dressed so that I could make him breakfast. It was time that I did something for him. I went to grab my glass of water off of the side table and noticed that Edward had left me a note. I smiled at how he seemed to surprise me at every turn. The note was beautiful. I nearly started to cry because it astounded me that from the tone of the letter, Edward felt like he wasn't worthy of me when the fact was that I didn't think that I was worthy of him. I was scared to blink, because I was scared that he'd be gone and this was just some horrible type of sweet dream or beautiful nightmare.

I went to the bathroom and proceeded to take a nice long shower. I decided to dress casual today, because I was unsure about what the group's plans were for today. I decided on a purple paisley romper and purple sandals. I put my hair in a high ponytail, because I really didn't want to have to do anything to it. I headed upstairs to the kitchen to get breakfast started for everyone. I walked into the kitchen to find Ali and Rose looking in the cabinets and pulling out bowls. I laughed and they both turned around.

"I see we all had the same idea." I said as I walked over to the fridge and starting pulling out the ingredients we would need.

"You came in here to make breakfast for my big headed brother?" Alice giggled. I threw the dish towel at her.

"Hey, that's my big-head boy you are talking about!" I laughed as I grabbed an apron from the back of the kitchen door.

"Ugh! None of that sweet shit before I've had my coffee, bitches. And by the way, Bella, you look pretty today." Rose said.

"Why, thank you… I think. Are you saying that I don't look pretty any other day?" I smirked at her.

"You know what she means, Bella. You have this… _glow_ and I'm guessing it has something to do with my brother!" she waggled her eyebrows at me.

"It's not like that, you dirty girl! You, girls, also look beautiful… as always." I said as I admired what they had picked out for the day. Rose had on a black and grey dress, some black/grey flats and she had on the necklace that I've asked her to borrow many, many times. It was a panda that was outlined in black and diamonds. Emmett really did know how to pick out jewelry! Alice had settled on a blue and white dress, white flip flops and a heart shaped necklace. We cleaned up nice.

"Is Eddie still asleep?" Alice asked as she grabbed an apron.

"Yeah, like a baby! Where are the other guys?" I asked.

"Still sleeping, of course." Rose rolled her eyes.

We went to work preparing breakfast, listening to music and talking about how great this summer was going to be. I knew it was going to be a good one. We were out of school, so I didn't have to worry about all the hateful stares from the many girls that have been trying to find any way to get into Edward's pants. I had him all to myself this summer and I planned on enjoying every single second of it. We had big plans for the summer and a lot of annual things that we did _every_ summer. But the few of them, that I was looking forward to the most, were Carlisle's hospital Gala. It was a reason to get dolled up in the most beautiful gowns and drape ourselves in diamonds. I couldn't wait.

I also couldn't wait for my birthday, Edward, Ali and Rose's birthdays. Most of us were summer babies and in Forks that was the best season to have birthday pool parties and barbeques at. My friends were amazing and my boyfriend… _gah… I loved saying that… _was even more amazing. They were going to make sure this was a summer that I would never ever forget.

We cooked so much food. I wasn't even sure if we were going to be able to eat it all, but I knew that what we didn't finish, Emmett would. We made pancakes, sausages, bacon, French toast and eggs. We plated the food and put it on the table and went to wake up our boys.

I walked downstairs and peeked into the room. What I saw literally took my breath away. There lying in bed was Edward snuggled up with the pillow that I was laying on. He was literally nuzzling the pillow and I thought it was the cutest thing I had ever seen. I almost didn't have the heart to wake him up, but I knew that breakfast would be getting cold. I walked over and kneeled beside the bed; I ran my fingers through his hair and kissed him on the forehead.

"Wake up, sleepy head." I whispered in his ear. He stirred and opened his eyes. I immediately smiled.

"Hey, there, beautiful," I kissed him on the cheek, "Breakfast is upstairs, so come on." I patted him on the chest and made a move to stand up, when Edward grabbed my hand, pulled me on the bed and perched his body on top of mine.

"Mmm… you smell delicious." He said as he kissed my neck.

"Get off and let's go eat! I'm hungryyy." I whined, "But before we do that, I need for you to go brush your teeth." I giggled and pinched my nose. He pretended to look wounded before he tried to come in for a kiss.

"Are you trying to tell me my breath stinks, Bella? You don't wanna kiss me? I'm hurt." he pouted.

"Aw. Come here, baby." I leaned up and gave him a kiss, "That's more like it." He grinned as he rolled off of me. I stood up and headed for the door, but before I left I turned around and I noticed that Edward was still laying in the bed but his back was now propped against the headboard and his hands were behind his head and he was staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You are seriously so fucking sexy." He licked his lips and winked at me.

"Thank you, honey. You're not so bad yourself." I smiled and did a complete turn so he could admire my whole outfit.

"Ok, I think that right now would be a real good time for your sexy ass to get out of this room or else you won't be leaving." He stood up and advanced towards me, I thought about standing my ground but the look in his eyes told me that he wasn't kidding. He looked like he was about to pounce on me. I turned around at the last minute and tried to make a run for it, but he caught me and spun me around.

"You naughty, _naughty_ girl… You thought I was playing, huh? This is your last chance." He whispered in my ear as he let me go. I turned around and he playfully swatted me on the ass.

"Smart choice, Isabella. I'll see you upstairs." He winked at me. Oh my God, what the hell was he trying to do to me. Everything he said this morning was like liquid sex rolling off his tongue. I stepped in the bathroom and tried to calm myself down. I looked in the mirror and noticed that I was flushed. Edward was going to be the death of me. I left the bathroom and walked into the kitchen where Rose and Alice had been more successful in getting their boys down for breakfast.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Jasper asked. _Oh shit, was I that fucking transparent?_

"Oh, nothing..." I mumbled as I tried to concentrate on putting food on my plate with shaking hands.

"Someone had a little run in with our dear Eddie boy. I know that flush." Rose teased.

"Shut it, chick! I just went to wake him up." I said in my defense.

"Uh huh… what everrr..." Rose sang. I threw a piece of bacon at her as I sat down. Moments later, Edward emerged from downstairs, wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt. His eyes met mine for a moment and my fork fell out of my hand with a loud clanging noise against my plate.

"Damn. You got it like that, E?" Emmett laughed. Edward smirked at me and I shot a glare back.

"Shut the fuck up, Emmett. You're making Bella blush!" Rose slapped the back of his head. That's why I loved Rose. You could always count on her to keep Em in check.

"I must admit, it _is_ kinda funny." Jasper said, "Not you too, Jazz." I looked at him.

"Sorry, darling. I couldn't resist." He laughed.

We ate breakfast and discussed the plans for the day. It turns out that we decided that today would be a good day to chill out at the park. We finished breakfast and the boys went to take showers and get dressed, while we girls decided to sit in the backyard until they were ready. Thirty minutes later and we were all walking to the park. Well I wasn't walking, because Edward was so lovingly carrying me on his back. We had a wonderful time playing at the park, we played tag, hide and seek and Alice and I literally had a race on the monkey bars. I almost broke my neck, but I won! I loved being wild and carefree; there wasn't a better group to do that with than ours. We were at the park until the sun started to go down. Before we left, I stepped away for a moment to call my dad. He still didn't know about me and Edward; I had a feeling that pretty soon I was going to have to let the cat out of the bag. Charlie answered on the first ring.

"Hey, baby girl." He greeted me.

"Hey, Dad. What are you up to?" I asked.

"Nothing much. I'm down in La Push with Billy. I decided to take my two week vacation. So, Billy and I are going to go on an extended fishing trip. Is that alright with you?" he sounded nervous.

"Of course, it's fine dad! I think you should go and have fun. You don't get a lot of time off. So, I want you to enjoy yourself and I know you're going to say that you leave me alone too much, but before you say that, I want you to know that I have all of my friends to keep me occupied and I'll be spending a lot of time over Ali's house. So, don't you worry about a thing!" I assured him.

"You know me too well, Bells. We aren't leaving until tomorrow night. So, why don't you come down to La Push and see your old dad before he takes off?" He asked. I really wasn't sure about going there, but I couldn't deny my dad.

"I'll be there." I tried to keep my voice steady.

"I'll see you then, Bells. Good night." He sounded cheerful.

"Good night." I hung up the phone and joined my friends for our walk back home.

We walked into the house just before dark and decided to order Chinese for dinner. We sat around, ate and watched a movie. After the movie was over, Rose and Emmett decided to head back to his house for the night. While Carlisle and Esme, also, announced that they were going away for a week. They wouldn't tell us where. Carlisle and Esme loved to travel and they have been doing it since Ali and Edward have been old enough to stay home alone. Alice and Edward never complained about their parents being gone all the time, they felt like their parents deserved it and they truly did. After everyone left, Alice had declared it 'girl time', so we headed upstairs towards her room, leaving Edward and Jasper to their male bonding.

**EPOV**

Jasper and I watched as our girls skipped off towards Ali's room, giggling as they went. It caused me to break out into a huge grin.

"You are totally smitten, partner." Jasper chuckled as he patted me on the back.

"Yeah, you're right about that. I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner." I said.

"Well, don't beat yourself up about it. You know now, so don't waste anymore time. Enjoy it. You both deserve something real." He said.

"Thanks, bro. I'll definitely take your advice. Let's go do man things like play video games." I joked.

We went downstairs and fired up the Playstation and played Halo 3 for a couple hours. It was getting late and all I really wanted to do was cuddle up with Bella. I decided that 3 hours was long enough for 'girl time'; and I was ready to collect my girlfriend.

"I think it's time for us to collect our girlfriends. You know the kind of trouble they get into when they are alone for too long." I ended our game.

"Good luck, bro. You, go try to pry Bella away from Alice. Then, come back and let me know if you are successful." He chuckled.

I walked up the two flights of stairs and I heard music blasting through Ali's door. I could hear that it was Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name". I cracked open the door, peeked inside and saw that they were both in their pajamas jumping on the bed shouting the song out at the top of their lungs. Bella was singing into a hair brush and Alice was playing the air guitar. It was fucking adorable. They had probably been up here rocking out to Bon Jovi for the whole three hours. They loved singing and they did it for hours on end. They just loved goofing around and rocking out to Bon Jovi and Lady Gaga. I closed the door and decided that I would knock so that they wouldn't know that I was spying on their impromptu performance.

"Come in!" they laughed. I opened the door as they plopped down on to the bed in hysterics. Alice turned off her Ipod.

"I take it that you've come to take away my best friend?" she stood with her hands on her hips.

"Nope. I've come to take away my _girlfriend_." I stared at her.

"Well, since she spent the first two hours of our girl time talking about you, I will gladly let her go." She pushed Bella towards me.

"So, you've found me that intolerably boring?" Bella asked her.

"Of course not, I just don't want Edward, here, to go all caveman and start with his whole "Me…Tarzan" routine. You, kids, run along and have yourselves a good night. And, Edward, can you please tell Jazzy to meet me in my room in 20 minutes and not a minute sooner?" she pushed us out of her door and locked it. I sent Jazz a quick text.

*****

_J,_

_Alice requests your presence upstairs in 20 minutes. Not a moment sooner._

_E_

*****

Bella and I walked back to my room. I closed and locked the door behind us. I stared at her for I don't know how long. I seemed to lose track of time whenever I was near her.

"So, you spent most of your girl time talking about me?" I walked towards her.

"Mayyybbeee, but don't think about asking for any details, because you won't get any!" she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Oh, Isabella, I think that I have ways to get you to talk and each one of them is _very_ effective. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Choose wisely." I backed her against the closet and pushed my body against hers and I felt her shake a little.

"Edward! You aren't playing fair!" she whined.

"I'm sorry… well… not really." I said as I started nibbling on her neck.

"Fine. Ok… ok. I'll just tell you that I told your sister how much I love you. The rest you'll find out in time." She had a hard time completing her sentence. I decided that I would give her a break and back off a little.

"Good girl." I kissed her.

**BPOV**

Today was great! It was one of the best days I've had in a while. I was so happy when Charlie told me he was going on an extended fishing trip, because that meant that I could spend the next two weeks sharing a bed with Edward. Not that I had any other place that I'd rather be in. Even if we weren't going to make love yet, just the fact that he would be with me all night was more than enough.

As we lay in bed, I knew that I was going to have to tell Edward where I was going tomorrow. There was no way around it; I was just terrified of his reaction. La Push only meant one thing to Edward and that was… Jacob. I had to be honest with him; I asked Alice about it and she agreed that honesty was the best policy when it came to Edward. He might be upset at first, but if I didn't tell him, the hurt would surpass the anger, if I let him find this out on his own. I took a few more moments to compose myself and get my words together, but it didn't matter how many times I ran them through my head, I knew that when I spoke them, they wouldn't sound anything like how they sounded in my head. So I took a deep breath and went for it. I turned on my side in the bed and looked at Edward. He turned towards me and placed a kiss on the tip of my nose.

"Edward, I need to tell you something and I can almost guarantee that you aren't going to like it." I said in a hushed whisper. He looked at me and although he was trying to maintain a calm face, I could see the panic in his eyes. I knew that I better just come out with it before I created anymore unnecessary worrying.

"My dad is on a two week vacation from work, so he and Billy are going on an extended fishing trip and they leave tomorrow. My dad has asked that I come down to La Push to see him before he leaves and I told him yes." I said in a rush.

There was a moment of calm that washed over Edward's face, but it only lasted a split second and then I saw what I knew was coming… anger.

"Why the hell would you tell him that, Bella?!?" He sat up in the bed, "You might not think so right now, but Jacob will be there and I don't want you around him alone! Period." He was yelling now.

"Calm down! Damn it, Edward! My dad is about to take off for two weeks and all he is asking of me is that I come and see him before he leaves. I can't and I won't deny him that. Please, don't make this our first argument as a couple, because quite frankly, I don't think this is anything we need to be fighting over. I'm going." I stayed calm, because I really wasn't trying to make this into an argument, but he needed to understand that there was no way I was going to let him tell me what I could and could not do.

He slumped back down in the bed and I knew that this was a battle that I had won. He grabbed me and pulled me close.

"Ok, Bella. I understand. I'm sorry that I yelled. It's just that the thought of you around _him_ infuriates me. Can I ask for one thing?" He looked at me.

"Of course, you can. Thank you for understanding." I stroked his cheek.

"Let me come with you. We could even go down to the beach. It would be fun." He gave me a small smile. I knew he was either still upset about the possibility of me running into Jacob or he was anxious about it.

"That sounds like a plan." I leaned up and gave him a small kiss.

We settled back down into bed and turned the TV off. I knew there was no possible way I was going to be able to sleep tonight, but I knew I had to try.

"Good night, babe." I said into the darkness.

"Good night, love." Edward replied as he pulled me closer into his body. That was all I needed. I knew that for tonight everything would be alright. I'll deal with the drama and the fall out tomorrow, but for tonight, I decided to focus on the feeling of being surrounded by love. What more could any girl ask for?

**A/N: Come and play with me on Twitter BxECullen. Like it? Love it? Hate it? Give me some constructive criticism, I promise I can handle it and it's the only way I'm going to learn what you girl's like!**


	14. Things Aren't Always Easy

**A/N: Okay, okay, i know that this update was long, long overdue and for that I apologize! I'm doing the best that I can with writing this story and contending with RL. It's not always easy, so stick in there with me! Thank you so much in advnace for your understanding.**

**To my wonderful beta TwiDi- Thank you sooooo much for being patient with me, and understanding! I love you lots and I've missed you bunches! I promise not to keep you waiting that long again! 3**

**Disclaimer: Nothing Twilight belongs to me. I'm just having fun! :) Enjoy!**

**Chapter 14- Things Aren't Always Easy**

"**When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free."-Catherine Ponder**

**BPOV**

I woke up to the sun shining on the side of my face. It felt wonderful, but I wasn't ready to get up and I, for damn sure, wasn't ready to face the day. I knew just what I needed… Rose and Ali. I looked at the clock and noticed that it was only 9am, so I had some time to go out for breakfast with the girls and then Edward. Then I could head to La Push around lunch time. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice that Edward wasn't in bed. I sat up, tilted my head down and ran my fingers through my hair. I felt like I looked like a steaming pile of shit. I groaned out loud.

"What's wrong, baby?" I heard Edward's voice. I looked up at him and offered him a small smile that I was sure didn't reach my eyes. It was forced that's for sure.

"I'm okay… I think… no, I _know_ I look like shit right now, I don't know if I'm ready for La Push and I just really feel like I need some 'girl time' this morning. Ugh! I'm sorry, honey, for unloading on you like this." I finished and threw the covers over my head.

I probably needed a Valium or Prozac and some fuckin' alcohol, but none of those things were available right now, so I didn't know what the hell I needed at this moment in time. I heard some shuffling around the room, but I refused to come from under my temporary safe haven. I could hide under here as long as I wanted and nobody could tell me differently… I know I'm acting like a big ass baby, but so the hell what! The next thing I knew, I heard Edward talking on the phone.

"Sorry, man. Can you put her on the phone, please?" he asked.

"Hey. Can you get dressed and come over here? No, no everything is fine. She needs you. Thanks. See you then." He finished his phone call. I felt the mattress shift under his weight as he sat down on the bed.

He pulled the covers off me, picked me up and put me in this lap. He just hugged me and rubbed my back for a while. It was the thing I didn't know I needed, but it just felt so good. He felt good. I felt myself starting to calm down. Even if it was just a little bit. He tilted my face towards him.

"First of all, you look beautiful… you _always_ do, even when you first wake up. Second of all, if you are not ready for La Push, then we don't have to go and you know that. Lastly, don't you ever apologize for unloading on me; I'm a big boy, I can handle it and it's what I am here for. You can talk to me about anything." He gave me a small peck on the lips. He stood up and placed me gently on my feet.

"Go take a shower. You have company coming over." He said.

"Thank you, Edward. You have no idea how much better you've made me feel, baby. I owe you one." I winked at him as I walked to the bathroom.

"I'll remember that." he laughed as I shut the bathroom door.

I was genuinely feeling better and my mood was improving as I let the hot water cascade down my body. I truly was one lucky girl. I wanted to make my shower quick, but because of the mood I was in, I lingered longer than usual; determined to take my sweet time. The world could wait for me. I let out a groan as the water started to run cold. I knew that no matter how long I stayed in here, the clock was still ticking and time was something that waited for no one.

I turned off the water and towel-dried my hair. I wasn't going to bother with a blow dryer today; I just didn't feel like it. Anyway, it didn't make sense to dry it when I knew that Edward and I were going to go to the beach. I peeked back into the room and noticed that Edward was gone, but I heard voices outside in the hall. I didn't pay them any attention and started getting dressed for breakfast. I would change when I got back home. I was in no mood to get all dressed up and cute. So, I decided on a plain white shirt and blue jean shorts. I threw on some white flip flops and put a white head-band in my still damp hair and walked out of the room. I knew that I had to call Rose, so that she could meet us for breakfast, but that could wait a second. I went in search of Ali. I found her in the living room and she was sitting there with Rose.

"Finally! Damn! I have been here for like a fucking hour!" Rose said with mock irritation. I looked at her and then I looked at Edward. He stood up and walked towards me. He stood behind me and wrapped his strong arms around me and rested his head on my shoulder. He placed a small kiss on my neck.

"I thought you could go for your 'girl time' and then we can talk about La Push when you get back. How does that sound?" he whispered in my ear. I shifted my body and turned to look at him; I wrapped my arms around him and stared into his beautiful green eyes. I loved him so much that sometimes my chest hurt, but it wasn't a bad pain. I remember hearing Rose say that sometimes 'loving Emmett hurts so good'. I didn't understand and I laughed at her at that time. But now, staring at Edward and seeing in his eyes the love that matched my own, made me want to cry.

"That sounds perfect and you are absolutely amazing and I love you so much." I said as I pulled his face down and gave him a kiss. He responded immediately and I seriously forgot that anyone was in the room until I heard someone clear their throat.

"Excuse me, do you want to finish that up here or are we going to breakfast, you love sick fools." Rose said as she tapped her foot impatiently on the floor.

"Hush up, Rose. I think it's pretty damn cute." Alice said as she slapped Rose on the arm. I gave Edward one final kiss and told him that we would talk when I got back. I grabbed my purse and sunglasses.

"Come on, girls. Let's go." I said as we all walked to Alice's car.

The ride there was fairly quiet. I could tell that Rose was getting aggravated and she wanted to say something, but since no one was talking I knew that she would wait until we got to the restaurant and then the gloves would come off. I would have only taken Alice with me, but I think that I needed Rose's bluntness when it came to these situations. But after that, I would need Ali's sweet reasoning and wisdom too. They complimented each other and I knew that with the two of them here with me, I would either come out of it ready to go to La Push or I wouldn't be going at all. We took our usual booth in the back of the diner and ordered our drinks. The waitress sat them down, asked us if we needed anything else and walked away. I picked up my glass of orange juice and was getting ready to take a sip, when Rose started to speak.

"Ok, Bella. I played the quiet game on the way here. I will not continue to play it during breakfast. Are you going to tell us what the fuck is going on or do I need to use other means to get it out of you?" she raised her eyebrow at me. I knew that now I had to lay it all out there.

"Fine, Rose. My dad is in La Push with Billy and they are going on a long fishing trip. They are leaving today and my dad wants me to come down to La Push, so that he can see me before he goes. I have two problems with this situation. One, that there is a strong possibility that Jacob is going to be down there and I'm not sure if I'm ready to deal with him. Second problem, is that Edward will be going with me. I don't know how he is going to react to Jacob and I don't know how my dad is going to react when I tell him that Edward and I are dating now. This is all just so fucked up and I'm about ready to say 'fuck it all' and not even go down to La Push." I finished with a huff. I looked up and noticed that Rose and Alice were staring at me, but neither of them looked like they knew what they wanted to say.

"Bella, you shouldn't do anything that you aren't comfortable doing. Edward is not going to make you go. No one can make you go. This is something that you are going to have to decide on, on your own. I know that this isn't what you want to hear, but that's all I can say. If you want me to come with you for support, I can do that. If you want to stay home today and watch movies and stuff our faces with ice cream, I can do that too." Alice said as she smiled at me.

"Look, Bells. I sort of agree with Ali. She is right, no one can make you go, but I can tell you right now that you cannot continue to run away from your problems. You are bound to run across Jacob one day. So, why try to avoid the inevitable? He has no more control over you; you have a good man now. There should be no reason why you should continue to act as if he has all the power. I say that you take your ass down there and show him how happy you are. Shit! If I were you, I would even _thank_ him for being such an ass to you, because without him doing that to you, you would have never known what it is that you were looking for out of a relationship. As for Charlie's reaction to you dating Edward, I don't think you have anything to worry about. We all saw it coming, so don't think that Chief Swan didn't see it either. Honestly, babe, you worry way too much!" Rose reached across the table and pinched my nose.

They both had good points. I knew that I couldn't continue to spend my life running from difficult situations. I mean, let's face it. There are going to be problems that will be much worse than what I have to deal with now. I'm going to La Push and whatever happens, I know that Edward will be right there with me.

**EPOV**

It was a rough night… and an even _rougher_ morning. I damn near blew a fucking gasket when Bells told me that she was going to La Push. I knew that I shouldn't have reacted quite so harshly, but I for damn sure wasn't about to let her go by herself. I didn't trust that Jacob fucker. I could tell this morning that she was on the brink of a break down and her stomach was in knots. I hated seeing her like that. It reminded me of that day she stumbled out of the woods and onto my front porch. No one else had seen her like I saw her that night; and I never wanted to see her like that again. I knew that there weren't many things I could do for her right now. So, I opted on calling Rose, because I knew that if anyone could get Isabella to listen, it would be the infamous Rosalie. I didn't want to let her out of my sight today, but I knew that Rose and Ali could handle it. I sat down on the couch in the living room and put my head in my hands. I didn't know anyone was in the room with me until they spoke.

"You wanna talk about it, E?" I heard Jasper's voice. I looked up.

"There isn't much to really talk about, Jazz. Bella and I are going down to La Push to see Charlie before he goes on this fishing trip with Billy. And I just have this feeling… that we are going to run into Jacob and I'm going to lose my fuckin' cool." I tugged at my hair out of frustration.

"E, what you need to do is be there for Bells. It's going to be harder for her than it's going to be for you. You need to let her know that you're there for her. She already has to contend with her own emotions. She shouldn't have to be worried about yours as well. Knowing Bella, I can bet that she is probably more worried about how you are going to react to the situation, so you have to keep your cool… for _her_." Jasper said.

"You're right, man. I just need to keep my temper in check and focus on getting Bella through this, if we even go. She wants to talk about what she wants to do when she comes back from breakfast." I leaned back on the couch.

Jasper gave me a lot to think about. If Bella decided to go to La Push, then I would be her pillar of strength. I had to let her know that she could count on me to do something right because, God knows, I have fucked some shit up when it has come to Bella. I needed to show her that I could be what she desperately needed me to be. Jasper and I sat in relative silence, the TV was on, but I really wasn't paying much attention to it.

I was in my own world until I heard tires crunching on the gravel in the driveway. Bella was back from breakfast. The door opened and in walked the girls. They were joking and laughing, so I knew that whatever Bella needed this morning, she was able to find in Rose and Ali. I was thankful that she was back and seemed to be in good spirits. She walked over and sat in my lap. She gave me a small peck on the lips and laid her head on my shoulder and proceeded to play with the hair on the back of my neck. Neither of us spoke. We just sat there, in the moment, exchanging the positive electricity that was flowing through us.

"Do you wanna talk, sweetheart?" I asked after a while. She lifted her head up and looked me in my eyes.

"I want to go to La Push. I'm confident that I can handle it and I trust that you'll be able to help me through it. I just need for you to promise me that you won't fly off the handle. I need you there for me and _only_ me." She pleaded with her eyes. I couldn't deny this girl anything.

"I promise that I won't make this any harder on you than it has to be. I just want everything to be okay with you." I gave her a reassuring kiss.

"Thank you, baby. Let's go get ready to go." She took my hand and led us upstairs. I hoped that I could be everything that I promised her to be.

**BPOV**

I went into the guest room and put on my red and white polka dot bikini and I slipped on a red cover-up that could pass for a light summer dress. I grabbed my sunglasses, tote bag and walked out of the room. I was as ready as I was going to be. Edward was standing in the hallway waiting for me. He looked absolutely delicious in a pair of green swim trunks and a white t-shirt; I know that to some people that would seem like just an ordinary outfit that you would wear to the beach, but Edward had this way of making everything he wore look sexy. He was like a walking billboard for sex; and he was all mines. The thought made me smile.

"What are you smiling about, beautiful?" Edward smirked at me.

"I'm smiling because I realize a little more each day just how far I've come and just how far I'm going to go with you." I said as I wrapped my arms around his waist. He gave me a little squeeze.

"I think I'm the lucky one here, babe. You ready to get this show on the road?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." I gave him a reassuring smile. We walked out of the door and climbed into his precious Volvo.

We drove in almost complete silence; with Edward squeezing my hand reassuringly the closer we got to the reservation. I don't think he realized how much that helped me and how comforted I felt. Many different scenarios were running through my mind. This could go either way, it could end up being a really good thing, or this shit could explode in my face. We were fifteen minutes away when I decided that I should call my dad to see where he wanted to meet.

"Bells?" He answered.

"Hey, dad. I'm fifteen minutes away. Where do you want to meet?"

"Um… how about we meet at First beach?"

"Ok, dad. See you soon."

"I can't wait." He replied. I hit the end button on my phone and told Edward where we would be going.

We pulled up at First Beach and I noticed that there wasn't anyone on the beach which meant that Edward was the first to arrive. I walked down towards the water and stared out into the horizon. I was lost in thought when a pair of strong and familiar arms snaked around my waist. I leaned into Edward and took a deep breath.

"You okay, baby?" he kissed the side of my neck.

"Yeah. I'm good. It's beautiful out here." I sighed as I leaned back into his warm body.

Edward was getting ready to say something, but he was interrupted when we heard laughter behind us. We turned around to see Billy, my dad and Jacob walking up the beach towards us. My whole body tensed up and I felt a shiver run up my back. They were still a long way away from us and hadn't seen us yet; Edward spun me around, grabbed both my hands and started rubbing soothing circles on the palm of my hand.

"Everything is going to be okay, Bella. You don't have to be nervous or anxious. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. I promise to be on my best behavior." He winked at me. I gave him a small smile, took a deep breath and turned around just as the others spotted us. We walked towards them and as I got closer to my dad, I broke out in a huge smile. He looked so happy to see me and I was sure that he didn't think I was going to come.

"Bells! I'm glad you could make it." He looked back and forth between me and Edward, "hey, Edward." He said and I could tell that he was worried about what would happen between Jacob and Edward. Jacob had caught up to us by now and I could tell that he was uncomfortable with the situation, but I really couldn't care less. I turned to Edward and whispered in his ear that I was going to talk to my dad alone.

"Sure, go ahead and I remember what I promised." He smirked at me. Oh God, how I love this man!

"Dad, can I talk to you for a minute."

"Sure thing, kid. Let's take a walk."

We started walking along the beach. And before long, we came to a log that looked like it had been set up during a bonfire. I took a seat on it and Charlie sat down next to me, but he put a little distance between us. I was completely losing my mind over having to discuss this with him, but I didn't want him to find out any other way. I was digging my feet in the sand and was starting to count the grains when I heard him speak.

"Bells, you said you wanted to talk and I can tell from your nervous fidgeting that this is something that is weighing heavily on you. What is it? You know you can talk to me." He placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Dad, I don't really know how to tell you this…" I started.

"You are not pregnant, are you!?!" he yelled.

"God, no! Dad!! How could you even? ... What are you thinking? That is not _it_!" I stumbled over my words because I couldn't believe that he would think that I would tell him that kind of news sitting on a log in the middle of the deserted beach. Hell no! If I was going to drop a bomb like that, it would be at the police station… _where there are plenty of witnesses!_

"I'm sorry, Bells. I jumped the gun there, didn't I?" he chuckled.

"Yeah, you did. I was going to tell you that Edward and I are together." I rushed the words out in a jumbled mess. Charlie was quiet for a little while and I couldn't quite read his face.

"I figured this would happen sooner or later, Bells. I gave up on it after a while, but recently the way I've caught him looking at you, like he was trying to figure out the answer to some unspoken question. It was during your choir performance on the last day of school when I saw the light bulb flash above his head and the look in his eyes… it was the way I used to look at… your mother." He explained and I saw sadness in his eyes that I'm sure mirrored my own when he mentioned my mother. He loved her with everything he had, I loved her with everything I had and somehow our love combined wasn't good enough to make her stay. I found myself hating her for it, but I was always conflicted because how are you supposed to hate someone who has given you life?

"I love him, dad." I blushed.

"I know you do, Bells. You have for a while." He smiled.

"How did you…"

"Come on, baby doll. Give your old man some credit. I'm not that out of tune in the area of love. I know it when I see it, because I've felt it from your mother and I feel it from you every day." He placed his hand back on my shoulder. I couldn't help it; I launched myself into his arms and gave him the tightest hug I could.

"Thank you so much for not freaking out on me!" I smiled and felt like the weight of a thousand bricks had been lifted from my shoulders.

"Hey, now don't get me wrong, I'm worried about how much time you guys spend alone, but I trust you to make smart decisions, so don't prove me wrong. Okay, kiddo?" I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was serious.

"I promise that I won't make any stupid decisions, dad." I held one hand up and put the other over my heart. He reached out and ruffled my hair.

"That's my girl. What do you say we get back to the others and have a good time before Billy and I leave?"

"Let's go." I said as we started walking back to join the crowd.

**EPOV**

Here I was standing alone with Jacob douche-bag Black and I was trying to get a grip on the anger that was flowing through me. I desperately needed Bella next to me, to keep me calm. As I was focusing on trying to take deep cleansing breaths, he decided to fuck up my concentration and speak.

"So, you and Bella… huh?" he had this smug cockiness to his voice and it grated on my nerves like nails on a damn chalkboard.

"Yeah. Me and Bella." I avoided looking at him.

"Hmm… I knew that was coming. Why else would you be so fuckin' worried about Bella's relationship with me? You always had a fuckin' way of sticking your nose where it didn't fuckin' belong."

Was he fucking serious? Was he trying to push me over the edge? If that was his goal, he was really damn close to needing a reconstructive surgery.

"I suggest, you, calm the fuck down. I'm using major constraint in order to not knock you the fuck out and if it wasn't for the promise that I made to Bella, your ass wouldn't be standing here talking to me, because you'd be fighting to take your next God damn breath. You and Bella are in the past. I never interfered in your relationship with her. The way you fucked up was of no fault of mine. You did that shit all on your own. So, I'm going to turn my back and walk off, because if I continue to stand here and talk to you, I won't be responsible for what I do." I turned around and started walking down the beach.

"I wasn't finished talking to you, Cullen." He said as I heard his footsteps approaching me from behind. I couldn't help it; I swung around and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"What the fuck did I tell you?!? Do you think this is a fucking game? Do you? If you do, then I can promise you that it's about to be game over for your ass." I reeled my hand back and prepared to rearrange his face when I heard her voice.

"Edward! Stop! What are you doing?!?" I heard Bella screaming as she came running down the beach. I pushed Jacob to the sand and continued down the beach. I needed to pull it together. I heard Bella coming after me, but I couldn't bring myself to stop.

"Talk to me, Edward! Please!" she caught up to me and spun me around.

"I can't do this right now, Bella. I don't know why I pretended that I could be civil to him. I fuckin' hate him! I fuckin' hate what he did to you! He doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut!" I felt like I was about to rip my hair out, with the way I was tugging on it. I sat down in the sand and put my head in my hands.

"Baby, calm down. I'm ready to put it behind me and if I can do that, then I know that you can too."

She sat down in front of me and lifted my head so that I was looking into her eyes.

"I love you, Edward Anthony Cullen. More than I've ever loved anyone… _ever_." She placed her lips on mine and I was lost in the essence of her. Everything and everyone disappeared; I would never get tired of the feeling of her lips on mine. It always seemed to make the world stop spinning on its axis.

"Thank you, Bella. I needed to hear that and I need you to hear this… I love you too. And I'll never love anyone else ever again." I saw a tear slip down her cheek. I leaned over and kissed her cheek until the tears and the tracks they left were gone.

"How did I ever get so lucky?" she sniffled. I was about to remind her that I was the lucky one when we were interrupted.

"Can I talk to you, Bella?"

I looked up and noticed that the words were coming out of the mouth of Jacob Black. This kid was really working my fuckin' nerves!

**A/N: Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know! :) Come play with me on Twitter, I promise we'll have lots of fun! BxECullen! Hope to see you there!**


	15. Continuing? Maybe?

I ran across this story as I was cleaning up some files on my laptop and I think that I might want to continue it. I will try to post a very rough draft chapter tonight (i lost my beta during the 3 yrs that this story has lie dormant). I still have all of my old ideas, it's just that life got a little bit crazy for me. I hope there will still be people interested in reading this as I try to see it through to the end :)


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